Rin Knows
by Maki Hatayama
Summary: It's just another day in the village when Sesshoumaru drops by to visit Rin. Taking in a few details, it's the most surprising visit Rin's ever had from him, and she gently urges him to leave. What follows is a crisis no one ever expected, and Rin finds herself the only one truly aware that it's going on. Because she's the only one who knows when Sesshoumaru isn't Sesshoumaru...
1. Noticing

**I don't remember how I came up with this. But it takes place between Third Person and Spoiling Her. Rin will be 12-13 here. Sesshoumaru is over 200, for certain. This is not a one-shot, because it's got too much packed into it just in my head. It probably won't last too long, though. Anyway, Enjoy!**

"Like this, Rin," Kaede said. "Firmly whip it, as though it is thy weapon."

Kaede released an end of the kimono allowing it to unravel through the air with a very wet '_splat!_' as it reached the limit of its freedom in Kaede's hands, even though it had nothing to hit. She was teaching Rin how to handle the wash, including showing Rin some of her old tricks for ringing out excess water in them from when she was young. Rin applauded Kaede as she straightened up, holding her back in discomfort. There wasn't much Kaede could do for herself lately. She was getting on in her years and was barely able to manage any chores on her own for very long, especially with her back giving her trouble of late. Luckily for her, this was the only chore Rin hadn't learned how to handle yet. Now that she'd shown Rin how to wash and ring out the clothes, all that was left was to sit back and let her master it.

"Lady Kaede, you're still so strong!" Rin complimented, appreciating the old priestess' help.  
Kaede gave a light laugh and started moving away from the river. Rin helped her over to a dry spot by the river bank where Kaede could sit and rest. "Ye can handle this on thy own from here, then?" Kaede asked.  
Rin nodded. "I've got it!" she replied. "You relax, now."

Kaede seated herself on the ground and leaned back against a boulder to take a nap while Rin worked.  
Rin returned to the task at hand, humming to herself as she would while doing any and all of her other chores. She wasn't particularly fond of these chores. All of them were very boring, really. But she did them without complaint. That was the condition put on the training she wanted to do, after all. She had to keep her end of the bargain. Rin brought a newly-washed kimono over to a tree and hung it up to dry. As she turned to go back to her work, however, a slight tingle inside her head got her attention. With a bit of a worried gasp, Rin ran over to Kaede and shook her awake. "Lady Kaede! A demon's coming! A demon's coming!" Rin cried. "Lady Kaede!"

Kaede gathered herself and gently removed Rin's hands from her shoulders. "Stop shaking me so, child!" Kaede said. "Remember, this may not be anything. Thy powers are still very young."  
Rin lowered her head in frustration, waiting while Kaede searched for the presence. After a moment, she released a heavy sigh and reached back to tap on her shoulder with her knuckle. "Relax, Rin," Kaede assured the girl. "He's come to see ye again."  
"Eh?" Rin said, casting her eyes up to the sky.

Realization began to settle on her mind, bringing Rin's gaze to the sky. In the distance, she spotted a white figure flying in toward the village. If the sky had been thinking about turning cloudy just then, that figure just changed its plans. The smile that grew on Rin's face could clear even the darkest of skies… and it was entirely this figure's doing. "He's here!" Rin cried, hopping up and running back into the village.

Chores were forgotten as she quickly abandoned Kaede at the river without a second thought on the matter. She ran out to a certain field that the villagers had set aside for her. They knew this figure was only here to see her… but they couldn't quite get over themselves and asked her to go out there to meet him, so that he wouldn't get too close to the village. "Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin cried out toward the sky, every little syllable echoing with a tone of pure joy.

She dug in her heels to stop as she reached her lord's usual landing place. Stumbling and stammering, she managed to slow herself to a stop as her lord landed just behind her, his arms folded inside his kimono sleeves in a very formal manner. It took half a blink for her to turn around and run back to meet Sesshoumaru. "Welcome back, my lord!" Rin sighed, beginning to settle down after having run like a maniac through the village. "How was your journey?"

Sesshoumaru looked down at Rin as she smiled ever so brightly up at him. All tension within him seemed to blow away with the light summer breeze. Only Rin's smile could do such a thing to the mighty Lord Sesshoumaru. "Uneventful." Sesshoumaru answered calmly.

Rin could hear the slight bored tone in his voice, indicating that he had indeed been on an uneventful trip. There was another tone in his voice too. Rin couldn't quite tell what it was, though.  
Jaken slid down from the fur that hung over Sesshoumaru's right shoulder and waddled around to stand beside his master. "Why here, m'lord?" Jaken asked. "The Staff of Heads is silent. There is nothing of interest here."  
Sesshoumaru ignored the imp as he unfolded his arms from within his sleeves. "Rin, have you behaved yourself?" he asked.

Rin nodded, shaking her now-very-long pigtail into her face. She shook her head again to move it back into place. Her distraction with her hair was quickly brought to an end as she saw her lord reaching toward her. A light tinkling noise sounded from his hand as he opened it up to reveal a small rusty bell.  
Rin moved slowly, so as not to seem greedy as she received the bell. She'd always wanted to play with one as a child, but all the bells she'd seen were sacred to temples and she couldn't mess with those.  
Now, she was a bit too grown-up to play with the bell as a child might. But, because her lord had given it to her, she would treasure it like she would have when she was young enough to play with such things. "Ring it once." he instructed, suddenly.

Rin looked up at him in surprise. He nodded once, urging her to go ahead. She looked down at the bell in her hands, now wondering what exactly she'd been given. But, trusting Sesshoumaru never to hurt her, or give her something that might hurt her, Rin rang the bell once.  
A booming sounded over-head. Like thunder. Rin looked up to see that clouds were forming over her head and only over her head. A drop of rain landed on her nose and the clouds began to pour over her.

"From the wand of a rain spirit," Sesshoumaru explained. "For that garden of yours. Ring it twice now."  
Despite being soaking wet now, Rin's smile returned at full force and she rang the bell twice. The clouds disappeared as quickly as they'd arrived, allowing the sun to shine down on her once more.

"Oh, Lord Sesshoumaru… Thank you!" Rin gasped, beaming up at him with the brightest light in her eyes.

As she watched his face, she began taking in his expression, determining what his emotion was… while she could plainly see that he was happy to be here, she noticed some odd details as well.  
Just under his eyes, too light to be seen unless you focused on him like Rin always did, she noticed a slight purple wrinkle. She'd never seen this in her lord before.  
With that one detail, others followed: His hair was a bit ragged, now, as though he'd been tossing in his sleep a bit without rest (however rare it was that he slept); His posture was slightly off, as though he was having trouble standing; His skin was even paler than usual. All of this got Rin to thinking… and she hadn't really pondered such a subject before… "L-Lord Sesshoumaru…" Rin began slowly.

He was already looking at her and she knew she had his attention. She just didn't quite know what she would say. She cast her eyes around, looking for her wording in her mind, not really focusing on the surroundings.  
Jaken waited impatiently, having been disappointed to find that Sesshoumaru had only brought them there to visit Rin. _What is taking her so long?_ Jaken thought to himself. _She's thanked him already! How hard would it be to say 'good-bye'? She's done it before!_

Rin continued looking around, still not sure what to say or do. Sesshoumaru waited patiently for her to finish her thought, knowing the look on her face meant she had something important to inquire about.  
Jaken waited as well… and waited… and waited… and waited… and-  
"Spit it out already, whelp!" Jaken snapped. "What do you want?!"  
Rin jerked her attention over to Jaken, shocked by his sudden outburst. But, as she settled down and noted that Jaken was still there, she realized exactly what she could say.

Rin turned back to Sesshoumaru, taking a breath to speak. "Would you… like me to watch Jaken for you?" she asked.  
Sesshoumaru's eyes perked up ever so slightly. He hadn't considered leaving Jaken with Rin in quite some time, and had even forgotten that he could do so if he felt it was necessary.  
Jaken's already buggy eyes were bugging out even further. The Staff of Heads fell from his hands. "W-W-W-WHAT!?" Jaken squawked loudly. "Y-Y-Y-You insolent child! You? Watch me? How dare you! I don't need to be watched! You're the only one here who needs watching!"

Rin cast Jaken a brief glance, only to look back up at Sesshoumaru, still waiting on his answer. Sesshoumaru watched her carefully, realizing that she'd seen something. Even if she hadn't seen what she'd seen though… the thought of leaving Jaken behind for once… if only for a little while…  
Jaken continued squawking on, though he made no sense anymore. The very sound of Jaken's voice was like a thousand swords being dragged across stone. A pounding ache formed in the demon lord's head and it was everything he could do to keep from rubbing his head and showing such weakness right then. "Jaken," Sesshoumaru said.  
The imp babbled on, unable to hear his master over his own noise.  
"Jaken!" Sesshoumaru said, a little louder this time. He still didn't hear Sesshoumaru and proceeded to pace back and forth, lecturing Rin in some unintelligible jabbering. Rin turned around, crouched down and covered her ears, sensing her lord wasn't patient enough to give Jaken a third chance to hear his call.

She watched the field ahead, waiting. She could hear little squawks of pain just barely slipping past her hands, letting her know that she'd been correct to take such precautions. Several moments passed before, finally, Jaken fell down on the ground, his head all lumpy and red and the Staff of Heads stuck on the back of it. Seeing this, Rin uncovered her ears, stood up and turned to Sesshoumaru once more, preparing to say good bye in a moment.

"You will stay here with Rin," Sesshoumaru ordered to Jaken, looking particularly irate now.  
Jaken slowly rose up onto his knees, his eyes becoming teary. "But, Lord Sesshoumaru… why?" Jaken asked.  
Sesshoumaru glared at Jaken, plainly not in any mood to take complaints of any sort from anyone, especially not Jaken. "You will stay here," Sesshoumaru ordered. "If you seek me out… I will kill you."  
Jaken shivered with fear, deciding not to press the matter any further. "Y-Yes… M'lord," Jaken answered.

Settling down a bit, Sesshoumaru turned and started away from the village on foot.  
Rin threw her hand up in the air, waving to him though he was turned away. "Good-bye, my lord!" Rin called. "Travel safely!"  
She wouldn't see it this time, but Sesshoumaru felt just a little bit better hearing her voice and having seen her face. He'd spent so many days looking at and listening to Jaken, he'd almost forgotten the splendor of interacting with Rin. Calmly, he continued on, glad that she'd noticed what she did. He'd surely have gone mad if she didn't…

Rin urged Jaken to stand, and led him back into the village. She returned to doing the laundry, getting Jaken to help her. Kaede watched in confusion as the imp came waddling through behind Rin, begrudgingly scrubbing clothes and throwing them over nearby tree branches. "I don't understand," Kaede said. "Why has Sesshoumaru left Jaken behind?"  
"He hasn't left me behind, hag!" Jaken snapped. "He's left me to protect Rin!"  
Rin shook out a really wet hakama and hung it up, her eyes firmly locked on something unseen. "I really have no idea, Lady Kaede," Rin lied. "I'll ask him when he gets back."

Rin went to check and see if anything was dry yet, using only her sense of touch as her eyes were still very lost in her mind. Truth be told, she knew exactly why Sesshoumaru had agreed to leave Jaken. She'd never seen it before. She couldn't be entirely sure that she had seen it this time. But, if her assessment was correct, her Lord Sesshoumaru… was feeling a bit ill.

_Well? What do you think? Good so far? Wait 'til I get to the really good stuff! You'll flip, I swear! Please, review!_


	2. Unsuspecting

**Okay… I haven't really contemplated plot build-up here. This may read a little strangely, depending on what state my brain is in. I'm a little sleepy as I write this fore-comment, so… Enjoy!**

"Are you almost done?!" Jaken squawked.

Rin narrowed her eyes, trying to decide whether she was supposed to make another loop here, or if she could finish off the knot now. Rin was tying the bell Sesshoumaru had given her to a small tree beside her personal garden and Jaken was holding a long string meant to shake the tree and thus shake the bell. She didn't want to lose this precious gift, so, she was making absolutely certain that it was secure before giving Jaken the 'okay' to pull the string. _Well, it's a very complicated knot… maybe I can just leave it as-is?_ Rin thought to herself.

She tugged on the strings to be sure of it. When they didn't give an inch, she stood up and moved away from the garden. "Alright, Master Jaken, give it a try!" Rin said.  
With an impatient huff, the imp pulled on the string once, shaking the little tree and the bell on it.  
Rain clouds formed over the garden and began pouring, giving the vegetables and herbs a much-needed drink.

"It works! I did it!" Rin cried, hopping once with her excitement.

"What do you mean _you_ did it?!" Jaken scolded. "I helped too, you insolent whelp!"

Rin ignored him, turning to look over at Ah-Un. The twin-headed dragon was standing just a little-ways away from them, munching at some of the grass beside the path. That particular grass wasn't very green, as it was beginning to be trampled to widen the road. "Go ahead and pull it twice, Master Jaken," Rin said. "Let's take Ah-Un to find some better grass to eat."

Jaken yanked on the string twice and ran to Ah-Un before Rin could take her first step. Rin quietly approached Ah-Un, mounted him and beckoned him to take flight.  
Once in the sky, Ah-Un knew exactly where they were going and Rin could just relax while he flew toward his lunch. With her mind free, she was able to notice Jaken sigh in his usual 'not following Sesshoumaru', melancholy way. Taking pity on the poor, useless imp, Rin patted him on the head. "There, there Master Jaken," Rin said. "He'll be back soon enough. You know he always comes back to us."

Jaken scoffed. "I still don't see why he left in the first place!" he squawked. "What could possibly be so dangerous that he couldn't bring me, his most loyal steward, along with him?"

"Ummm… Everything?" Rin said.  
Jaken whipped around to glare at her. "Now see here-!"  
He cut himself off with a cry of shock as he lost his balance from turning so fast to look at her. With a gasp, Rin reached out and caught him just as he went off of Ah-Un's back. "Honestly, Master Jaken!" Rin sighed. "It's not about the danger of this mission! It's about personal matters! Neither of us is allowed to interfere!"  
"FOOL! PICK ME UP BEFORE YOU TRY TO TALK SENSE INTO ME!" Jaken squawked loudly.

Rin lifted him up and set him down on Ah-Un's saddle. Jaken sat there, panting for a bit before trying to speak. "Impudent child! As though you know anything about Lord Sesshoumaru right now!" Jaken scolded. "You aren't traveling with us anymore! How could you possibly know of his personal matters when even I don't know of such?"

Ah-Un landed in his favorite field of grass and bent down to begin eating. Rin slid down off of his back and cast her eyes up at the sky. She could easily remember how her lord looked before he left. How exhausted he seemed… she wouldn't forget that look for as long as she lived. Looking to Jaken, she couldn't understand how this imp that'd traveled with her dear lord for so many years couldn't tell when he needed space away from others. "I just know, Jaken-sama," Rin said, simply. "He won't ever tell me… and I won't be with him for a while longer… so, I just have to know. All by myself."

Jaken huffed, confused by her explanation, but too irritated by his situation to go on about it anymore. Both sat by quietly, allowing Ah-Un time to eat and properly fill his belly before they headed back to work on other chores…

**Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru travels alone…**

A demon centipede came at Sesshoumaru as he approached the heart of a maze of caves. With a flick of his poison talons, that centipede was a pile of mush on the ground in seconds. It was the queen of an entire colony. Sesshoumaru had slaughtered them all for no other reason than to have the maze to himself. The fact that they'd been causing trouble in surrounding villages bore little significance to him. After all… he was falling ill. The last thing he wanted was to be bothered by someone while he recovered.

Slowly, Sesshoumaru approached the back wall and seated himself down against it, giving the slightest of grunts in exhaustion and pain. His head was heavy and sore. Every single muscle in his body felt as though it had turned to jelly. He'd lost his appetite. But, now that he had his recovery area, all he wanted to do was just sleep all this off. Sesshoumaru leaned his head back against the wall of the cave and closed his eyes, waiting on sleep to take him over. It was perfectly silent. Exactly what any demon lord needed when sick. This way, he could hear it if someone was coming. Gradually, Sesshoumaru began to doze, reaching for the pitch-dark realm of deep, healing sleep. Nothing would bother him once he got there. Thoughts began to fail. Everything felt heavy, but in the most comfortable way possible. Breathing evened out. In through the nose… out through the mouth… in through-

All of a sudden, a very strong smell that burned his nose woke him from whatever sleep he'd been heading toward. With a snort to get the smell out of his nostrils, Sesshoumaru put his arm up in front of his face. _That smell… It's peppermint._ He realized. _How haven't I noticed it until now?_

The cave was still silent. The only thing that kept Sesshoumaru from settling back down was the strong smell of peppermint that masked any other scent that might be in that cave. _Demon insects don't eat peppermint, nor are they clever enough to use it to their advantage._ Sesshoumaru thought to himself. _No, something much smarter has come masking their odor with it, probably aware that it burns me, as well._

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes, looking around in the shadows of the cave for some sign of the intruder.  
The scent of peppermint began to grow in potency. _They're coming closer…_ Sesshoumaru thought to himself. _But with no way of knowing how much of the herb they're actually carrying, I have no way of knowing how close they are._  
Sesshoumaru rose to his feet, careful not to make any noise as he reached for Bakusaiga.

"My, my, you aren't looking too good, Lord Sesshoumaru!"

Shadows began moving around, crawling all around the chamber, headed for Sesshoumaru. He looked around, drawing his sword and his irritation with it, prepared to rid himself of this nuisance as quickly as possible.

"Worse yet, you don't seem to have the one thing you could've given me that might've made me feel merciful enough to spare you! At least for a few moments longer…"  
Sesshoumaru looked all around, trying to figure out which one was talking. "What nonsense are you babbling?" Sesshoumaru asked, provoking further speech as he jammed his sword into one of the shadows on the floor.  
A dark chuckle echoed through the cave, but didn't seem to be coming from any particular direction.  
Shadows lashed out, lunging from across the tunnel, the ceiling, the floor. Sesshoumaru swung his sword, taking out the first line of them, feeling his arms getting pierced as the second line fell upon him.

"Tell me, Lord Sesshoumaru… where is that steward of yours? The one carrying the Nintoujo?"

Sesshoumaru whipped his sword arm free, throwing of the line of shadowy figures and slicing several of them in half, still looking for the source of the voice as other Shadows came at him. "What of him?" Sesshoumaru asked, growing tired of this fight as he fell another five figures.  
"Oh, nothing of him. I want the Nintoujo; The Staff of Heads."

Sesshoumaru cut down three more shadows and raised his Bakusaiga, ready to finish this fight with a power strike. The speaking figure was obviously a fair distance from him, and he would need a longer strike to get to him.  
"You see, my dearest naginata was stolen from me some time ago. You remember? The one that inflicts pain equal to all the injuries the target has ever received in his lifetime. I hear it's in this cave. However, those centipedes have been digging these tunnels for centuries and there's no telling how long it would take me to search them all… without help, that is."

Something slashed at Sesshoumaru's hand, causing him to drop Bakusaiga. Before he could pick it back up, something took off with Bakusaiga and hordes of shadows piled up on Sesshoumaru, restricting all movement. The demon lord glared around at the mass of figures trying to bind him, casting his gaze up briefly, and still not finding the figure that was taunting him.

"Hmm… killing you would be nice…" the voice continued. "But, it just wouldn't be as fun without my naginata!"

Sesshoumaru didn't get a chance to look again as the pile of shadows slammed him to the ground. The impact hurt even more than it should have, as sick as he was becoming.  
"Eh? What's this smell?" the voice asked. "Is that… human? You came here from a human village?"

Sesshoumaru jerked at his arms, shaking a bunch of the shadows, but failing to earn him any true freedom. They pinned him back down, sticking more blades into his arms and shoulders to keep him from moving again.  
"You left him in a human village, did you?" the voice pressed. "I wouldn't have thought to look there, were it not for this smell on you! Very clever, Lord Sesshoumaru!"

Sesshoumaru scoffed, unsure of how he could catch the faint smell of human village through the smell of the peppermint, but unwilling to show that he was surprised by this.  
He saw one shadow in particular hop down from the ceiling and step toward him.

"Relax, now. You're sick. Sick people shouldn't move!" the shadow snickered. "Don't worry. You won't be killed until I have my naginata. And your steward will not be harmed. I won't damage your legacy, either. I want people to know I took down the mighty Sesshoumaru! If you lose your title, there won't be any glory in this for me."

_My legacy? What is this fool talking about?_ Sesshoumaru asked himself, quietly looking around for some way to free himself of the shadows' grip. _As though I'd be concerned with such a thing at a time like this anyway…  
_The one in charge of the shadows knelt down over Sesshoumaru's face, placing a single finger on the demon lord's forehead. "Your steward will probably be more likely to accommodate my wishes… if his master is the one to request them of him!"

Sesshoumaru watched as the shadow shifted and morphed, feeling an odd clenching feeling in his gut as he watched. He wasn't disgusted by the sight, though. The memory of leaving his steward behind flashed through his mind, a certain smile shining brightly in the scene, bringing his frustration to the top.  
The shadow laughed lightly, its form settling into place as it stood up once more. "I should be back in three days' time," it said. "Lock him up and make sure he awaits his demise like a good dead man. I want everything to be perfect for when that _glorious_ moment arrives."

The other shadows began tossing Sesshoumaru around as the one in charge of them walked out, leaving Sesshoumaru to fight and be beaten down in trying to get out of there and stop the fiend before he reached the village where Jaken… and Rin resided…

_Hmmm… Good enough. What do you think? Please, review!_


	3. Genuine?

**Okay, time to thicken my plot a bit! Enjoy!**

Rin finished hanging out the last kimono from the wet laundry pile and sighed, stretching her arms up toward the broad blue sky. "I've worked pretty hard today," she said to herself, casting a quick look around. "And, now… everything's all done."

She turned to look back at her house. Jaken could be seen just off to the side of the door frame, moping about being left in a human village. Rin had already tried greeting him and making conversation with him. But, Jaken was unresponsive. He would have none of this 'socializing and acting like a living creature' business.  
Rin put her hands on her hips, casting her eyes toward Ah-Un as he lay napping on the ground. _Well… If Master Jaken is going to sit there the whole time…_ Rin thought to herself. _I can gather up some supplies and seek out Lord Sesshoumaru. After all, it's been a few days… As long as I don't take Master Jaken with me, it should be alright for me to pay him a quick visit. Just to see how he's doing._

Working to be discreet, Rin went around gathering food and herbs, not sure what she'd find when she reached Sesshoumaru, but, preparing for what might be.  
She loaded all that she was going to bring onto Ah-Un's saddle, knowing that the dragon would know how to find Sesshoumaru, even if she had no idea where to begin looking. "Alright," Rin whispered, casting a few wary glances over towards Jaken as he continued to sit by the door of her house. "I'm counting on you, Ah-Un. Take me to him, alright?"

The dragon snorted once in agreement. As Rin quietly led him away, headed for the edge of the village, she began to feel just a little… uncomfortable. A little chill on her back and a nagging feeling that had her looking around every so often, only to see nothing obviously wrong. She could think of nothing she'd forgotten to do, and nothing seemed to be keeping them from advancing on their trip. After a few minutes of letting her skin crawl, Rin allowed herself to shiver a bit, trying to rid herself of the feeling. _I wonder if I'm getting sick now?_ Rin thought to herself. _I feel terrible, suddenly…_

"Rin! Get Rin! She's the only reason he's here!" came a fearful shout.

Perking up to her name being called, Rin turned to see a bunch of villagers panicking, getting to shelter and grabbing weapons, all of them looking at the sky. Casting her eyes up, Rin's eyes widened with surprise. She gave Ah-Un's reins a little tug, urging him to follow her over to the center of the panic.  
Sesshoumaru was flying toward the village, sword at the ready. Rin wasn't sure what he was up to, but, she had to see if he would explain. "Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin called up.

He looked down at her. Rin waved her hands in the air, making sure he saw her. He didn't say anything, nor did he change course. His gaze was hard and cold, even as they rested upon her. Rin had expected to see a slight greeting when he looked at her, and perhaps an indication that he would stop to see what she needed first. Instead, in a moment of pure shock, Sesshoumaru turned away and kept on through the village as though she'd never spoken. Rin turned to see that he was headed off toward a part of the village that he hadn't bothered to visit before. Part of the reason he never visited there… was because InuYasha spent a good deal of his spare time there. _The only reason he might head over there is to fight InuYasha-sama…_ Rin thought to herself. _But… they haven't laid eyes on each other in nearly a year! Why would he suddenly pick a fight now?_

Thinking quickly, Rin mounted Ah-Un and had him take off. "Lord Sesshoumaru!" she cried, hoping he would stop and explain.  
She followed him until he landed in the middle of one of the village roads and stared in horror as he knocked innocent by-standers around to make way for himself. People began to panic and run for their lives, screaming for help, too scared to even specify whose help they wanted.  
InuYasha and Kagome were the first on the scene and looked just as surprised to find that Sesshoumaru was causing such chaos. But, as he is always suspicious of his half-brother and ready to fight him whenever such a situation arises, InuYasha quickly drew Tetsusaiga, ready to strike at any moment. "Oi, Sesshoumaru!" InuYasha growled. "If you gotta problem, bring it to me! Leave the villagers out of it!"

Though uncertain, Kagome pulled an arrow from her quiver, and drew it back on her bow.  
Sesshoumaru looked over at them, ceasing his attack on the villagers and bearing his claws.  
Finally, Ah-Un found a place and touched the ground, allowing Rin to dismount him and run to intervene. "Wait! Please! Stop!" she pleaded, stumbling once and recovering quickly.  
She hurried over to stand in the gap between InuYasha and Sesshoumaru. "Master InuYasha, please! You haven't seen Lord Sesshoumaru in ages!" Rin said. "You shouldn't greet each other like this! Especially since neither of you has done anything to provoke the other!"

"Until today!" InuYasha growled.  
Rin turned to face him, folding her hands together, begging now. "Please… Lord Sesshoumaru is a demon lord of reason," Rin insisted. "Let me talk to him, first!"  
InuYasha was still, looking back and forth between Rin and Sesshoumaru. Rin waited on InuYasha to give her the 'okay' signal. All the while, Sesshoumaru was looking around at everyone and no one could be sure what was going through his head.  
Reluctantly, InuYasha's gaze came to settle on Rin. _Still such a weird kid… I'll never understand what she sees in that bastard…_ InuYasha thought to himself. _But… Sesshoumaru hasn't ever hurt her, as far as I know…_

Kagome slowly lowered her bow and arrow and placed her hand on InuYasha's shoulder, though worried. "Let her talk to him," she said quietly. "Rin knows what she's doing."  
InuYasha's brow furrowed with frustration, and he bore his teeth briefly to show his distaste for being told to back down. Slower than a little snail, InuYasha returned Tetsusaiga to its sheathe, not even really trying to compose his face. "Make it quick, kid!" InuYasha grumbled. "I'm ready to-"

Faster than one could blink, Rin was caught by the throat and held up off the ground. "Rin!" Kagome cried, horrified at the turn the situation had taken.  
"Damn it!" InuYasha hissed, hand on Tetsusaiga's hilt, only a slight hesitation to draw it. Why was Sesshoumaru threatening the one human he seemed to care about, all of a sudden? How dire was his situation that he would do so?  
"Foolish child," Sesshoumaru sneered, his fingers wrapped firmly around her neck. "As though you know anything about me at all."  
Rin gripped his hand tightly, trying to keep from suffocating while she hung up there. "L-Lo… L-Lord Sesshoumaru!" she gasped, heart sinking lower and lower by the second. What was going on? She couldn't quite tell, as the fear of death was breaking her focus.  
"InuYasha…" Sesshoumaru said, looking away from Rin. "I haven't the time to quarrel with you. Make my _visit_ quick and tell me where Jaken has gotten to."

Silence fell on the whole group as an odd shock settled on everyone. They all knew Sesshoumaru had simple goals. When he sought something out, it was usually something that could make him more powerful and it usually had a title that gave that away. But, now that they learned what his goal was, an air of disappointment fell on the group. Jaken couldn't possibly have anything to offer Sesshoumaru. He'd made that perfectly clear by the way he treated the imp.  
Working to get past this disappointment, InuYasha shook his head and tried to glare at Sesshoumaru, though he wanted to ask what Jaken meant to him in this moment. "If Jaken finally quit serving you, good for him!" InuYasha snapped. "Go find yourself another steward! Don't bother us with your personal problems!"

Kagome narrowed her eyes, looking Sesshoumaru up and down, feeling uncertain. _Something's different about him,_ she thought. _Like he got a slight hair cut, but even more subtle than that… He doesn't look different, though. What is it?_

Rin cast her eyes over at Sesshoumaru, completely confused. His expression was a bit urgent, as she saw it. More so than he would normally be. He really did need Jaken. _But… He knows he left Master Jaken with me._ Rin thought to herself. _Was he just _that_ sick? Does he not remember leaving Master Jaken with me?_  
"Lord Sesshoumaru…" Rin gasped, working a little harder to get to a point where she could breathe properly. "Master Jaken… urgh… You left him with me for a while… guh… Remember?"  
Sesshoumaru turned to look up at her, frustration and confusion in his eyes, evident only to Rin. "My lord… I'll take you to him…" she continued. "If you'll… urgh… let me down."

She met her lord's eye, working to hide the fear and puzzlement of being held in his death-grip and figure out why he needed Jaken so badly as to terrorize the village in search of him.  
His eyes narrowed coldly at her. Rin held perfectly still, knowing he'd calm down after a moment.  
"Rin…" Kagome said, tensing, readying her bow and arrow once more. InuYasha took his cue from this, beginning to slide Tetsusaiga out as he'd already grabbed the hilt when Sesshoumaru had grabbed Rin.

Sesshoumaru looked back to her, his expression looking no different to Kagome or InuYasha. "You needn't worry about her," Sesshoumaru assured them. "As long as she holds to her word, she will be unharmed."  
Kagome frowned a little deeper, trembling with anger from the deepest part of her heart. Something was very wrong here. And Rin was getting into danger for it.

Without any warning, Sesshoumaru dropped Rin and she fell to the ground with a heavy _thud!_. She coughed and choked a bit, regaining her breath while she recovered from the impacts both physically from the fall, and emotionally from the sudden cruelty of her lord.  
"Get up." Sesshoumaru ordered in a low voice.

Though her tailbone still ached, Rin rolled over and got to her feet, hurrying over to Ah-Un.  
"Rin, be careful!" Kagome called after her, scared for the little girl's life as she couldn't be sure what was wrong with the man who'd once protected her ferociously.  
"Don't worry, Lady Kagome!" Rin called back, mounting Ah-Un and having him take off once more. Sesshoumaru followed them up, flying right beside them as Rin led the way to her hut. Becoming wary of him, though, she cast her eyes over at Sesshoumaru, noticing how cold his expression was.

_Lord Sesshoumaru doesn't seem like himself…_ Rin thought to herself. _It's as though… he doesn't remember anything from before he got sick..._  
Rin leaned forward, trying to get a better view of his eyes, hoping to find some sign, something to indicate what was wrong. Sesshoumaru turned to her, glaring. "What are you looking at?" he growled.  
Rin sat up straighter, giving a small, weak smile. "I'm just glad to see Lord Sesshoumaru is alright!" she said, carefully testing him.  
His expression shifted very slightly, bearing a bit of confusion now as he looked her over. _This child is awfully familiar with him. Not even nervous after being held captive back there._ He noted to himself. _Either she's simply that stupid, or she truly believes Sesshoumaru won't harm her… On that note… why did she say he left his steward with her? Could it be…?_

He turned away without another word. Rin frowned, seeing that the look on his face hadn't changed. Nothing was coming back to him. What was the problem that he couldn't remember anything? Even now, as he'd seen a few of the people who should've been able to piece together the last three years or so of his memory, he seemed oblivious of even recent events, and wasn't even asking questions to relearn everything.  
Rin slowly pulled her attention ahead, frowning deeply while she thought, her eyes falling on her hut below. "There," she said, gently urging Ah-Un to land.  
Sesshoumaru sped past her, dashing into the hut without any sort of word to her. Rin narrowed her eyes now, surprised yet again by Sesshoumaru's change in character. _He hasn't just lost his memory, has he?_ she asked herself. _He may not care about people when he doesn't remember that he does, but, Sesshoumaru has a lot more restraint than that! He would've at least waited until we landed to walk ahead of me._

"Uwah! Lord Sesshoumaru! Back at last!"

Jaken's voice rattled Rin's house with its obnoxiously loud joyous tone, a bit of dust flying from the roof, threatening its collapse. Somehow, the poor building held together long enough for Jaken to come waddling out with the staff of heads in his hands. "Where to, m'lord?" the little imp asked, all too happy to be leaving the human village at last.

Sesshoumaru stepped out, walking ahead of him, starting toward the nearest village exit, Jaken keeping up behind him. Rin's heart leapt in an uncomfortable way, and an idea came to her. A scary one. But, one that would ensure that she would reach the truth of the situation.  
"Ah, Lord Sesshoumaru! Wait up!"  
He cast her a very dark eye over his shoulder, not slowing down in the least as Rin had Ah-Un begin to follow him. "You promised I could go with you, this time!" she told him, putting all the confidence she had left into her voice. "You promised you would be here today, so, I packed to travel with you."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her, though she could see he was considering it.  
"Nonsense!" Jaken squawked. "I was there when he left, and I heard no such promise!"  
Rin's face almost failed her then, as this imp was unknowingly foiling her plans. Sesshoumaru's eyes cleared of any confusion for a moment, looking at her like he might turn on her right then and there.  
_Calm… Just be calm…_ Rin told herself. _Think… Think… There!_  
"Master Jaken, you got knocked out that day," Rin pointed out. "You were unconscious longer than you realize. Lord Sesshoumaru promised that as long as I was packed and ready to go by today I could follow him on the next trip. He promised on Bakusaiga."

Rin looked up from Jaken to meet Sesshoumaru's eyes, holding her eyes as still as possible, feigning sincerity with all her strength.  
Jaken could say no more on the matter, beginning to ponder whether he'd lost consciousness or not just a few days' previous, realizing that it wouldn't be the first time his master had knocked him out. Sesshoumaru met her eyes quite easily. For a moment, Rin worried that he knew the truth. Her heart threatened to pound hard enough for him to hear. Her breath quivered as she quietly drew it in and pressed it back out, forcing it to remain even.

Sesshoumaru raised his head slightly, eyes unchanged. _She's desperate… As though it's possible that Sesshoumaru did spend some time with her, at some point,_ he thought to himself. _I do sense a small power inside her… It wouldn't seem like enough to be worthy of his attention… But, then, I've underestimated power before. _  
"Fine," he said at last, turning away before Rin could properly read his eyes. "You may prove useful on this journey after all…"

"Rin? Useful? How so, Lord Sesshoumaru?" Jaken queried.

He would receive no further word from him, however, and the group continued on in unsteady silence.  
Rin's brow furrowed very deeply, now. Her plan had proven what she feared. _Lord Sesshoumaru just pretended to remember that just now, didn't he?_ she thought to herself. _He agreed just to keep me from suspecting anything further… But, I know better. It couldn't be. Shouldn't be. It's impossible… and yet, here it is. Lord Sesshoumaru… is not Lord Sesshoumaru, anymore…_

_A/N: Well, there we go! It's only taken me an age to get back to this thing since I started it in April of 2012… Yeah. Bad couple of years for my writing. Don't even know why. But, this came out well enough for me! What do you think? Please review!_


	4. Journey

**Okay… I'm not sure what all will come of this chapter. Guess we'll both find out once you've read it. Enjoy!**

_**Day 1:**_

A heavy head rested briefly on Ah-Un's back, brown eyes fighting to stay alert. Night had fallen over the land. There was no moon to be seen, but the stars gleamed like distant lanterns hung in the sky. A slight mist hung in the air from recent rains, and it made everything feel heavy, wet, and cold.  
Jaken already snored loudly behind Rin, having given in at the first chirp of the cicadas. Rin had long since sworn not to go to sleep until this 'Sesshoumaru' resolved to stop and rest as well. She couldn't be sure what he would do if she fell asleep in his presence. Until she could, it was to be avoided at all costs.

She rubbed at her eyes, staring ahead at the boring, night-darkened scenery, working to try and imagine what might be waiting ahead. For all she was worth, Rin tried to avoid thinking about what might've become of her lord, the real one, for fear that she would work herself into a panic and demolish the work it'd taken to get her this far. She tried, instead, to make herself wonder where they were headed, and why they needed to be there. _Jaken is understandable, if he's just trying to look like the real Lord Sesshoumaru… Not that he would even need Jaken for that, there's not a single flaw in his appearance…_ Rin thought to herself. _Does Jaken have some sort of quality that makes him useful? I can't imagine… but, then, he said I would prove useful, too… Is he going to hold us for ransom? Why would he think to come get Jaken for that? Much less know where to go to get him?_

'Sesshoumaru' looked back over his shoulder, glaring at the sleepy human eyes peering between the twin heads of Ah-Un. "What do you think you're going to miss, child?" he asked, not particularly interested, with a slight threatening tone lying underneath his voice.  
Rin stifled a grimace at being called 'child', when she barely considered herself such anymore. It wasn't strange that he didn't call her by name, though, as not many had come to know that Sesshoumaru kept a human companion and still walked among the living. This only further confirmed that he was not Sesshoumaru. She just wished he would call her 'human' or something just a little less demeaning. "Nothing," she replied quietly. "I'm grown-up, now. I just thought I'd try and stay up late like grown-ups do. Lord Sesshoumaru, you don't have to worry about me."

"And just what makes you think I, of all creatures, am worrying about you?" he asked.

Rin was quiet there. She knew he wasn't worried. She was only trying to treat him as she would the real Sesshoumaru to help her keep up her charade.  
'Sesshoumaru' turned away from her, now, staring ahead, considering his next statement carefully. "I suppose we usually stop to make camp at about this hour?" he said, half-questioning.  
Rin blinked dumbly, having failed to consider the possibility of convincing this fake Sesshoumaru that they usually stopped at a certain point in the night to rest. She grunted, sitting up now and rubbing at her eyes. "How far will we be travelling, m'lord?" she asked.

"Nosey, aren't you?" he retorted, almost losing the stoic composure to an irritated tone.

Rin looked at him, giving him the wide-eyed, nearly hurt expression she knew she could give to make him think he was moving too far out of character.  
'Sesshoumaru' looked back to see about her silence, and turned away once he spotted her expression. "We'll be traveling another two days," he said, trying to recover. "Until we reach the mountains."

They moved to the left of the road to stop, and Rin dismounted Ah-Un, urging him to lie down as she knelt in the grass. "What's in the mountains?" she asked, keeping her tone light.  
'Sesshoumaru' was quiet for a moment, watching as Rin moved toward settling against the dragon's side. _He's awfully open with this child… Could it be that she isn't an asset but…?_ He stopped the thought there, believing it impossible, and sat down on the grass, crossing his legs. "You'll see…" he said, hoping it sounded enough like something Sesshoumaru would say to this girl.

Rin pursed her lips, laying down beside Ah-Un and waiting to close her eyes until this fake Sesshoumaru closed his first. It was a very long time before she could do so. The moon had moved quite a ways before the fake Sesshoumaru seemed to be less responsive to the world around him, if not totally unconscious.  
For a moment, Rin considered outing him. Trying out a spell to break his demonic illusion, and demanding he tell her what had happened to the real Sesshoumaru. But, this would not do. She had no idea how strong or weak this creature was. And there was no way to be sure he would tell her where Sesshoumaru was, if he knew at all.

Rin's brow furrowed deeply as she tried to get closer to Ah-Un. _I just have to wait until he's taken us to his destination… From there, we'll know whether Lord Sesshoumaru is there or not, and whether to try to run or stay and try to help him… I certainly hope he doesn't need our help…_  
The girl forced herself to quell her thoughts, and slowly drifted into a shallow slumber.

That morning, Rin was startled awake by a loud squawking voice, and she sat up to see that Jaken now had a large knot on his head. The fake Sesshoumaru stood just close enough to have punched the imp if he extended his arm to its full length and leaned in for force.  
The girl blinked wildly, getting to her feet to see what she could do about the situation. The imposter looked at her for the briefest of moments, a slight frown threatening to form on his face. He could only hope this wasn't completely unusual.

The imp raised his swelling head with a dazed look in his bulging yellow eyes. "Lord Sesshoumaru?" Jaken said, still recovering. "Whatever was that for?"  
"We're leaving," the imposter replied simply. "Now."  
He turned to look at Rin. She stood still, waiting on him to start moving. It wasn't entirely unusual for Sesshoumaru to wake Jaken in such a manner when he was needed. He would leave them behind to catch up with him later if neither Jaken nor Ah-Un were needed. So, Rin put on a little smile, rubbing at her eyes and allowing herself to yawn a gentle: "Good morning, m'lord!"

The imposter nodded to her, a small acknowledgement Sesshoumaru wouldn't give even if Rin was the only one to see, and started back down the road.  
Rin quickly mounted Ah-Un, patting his neck to help him wake up and urge him to stand. The dragon stood, groaning as it started off at a slow lazy pace. Jaken started at this and hurried to stand and follow them.

Rin watched the green imp catch up, vaguely wondering if he knew what was going on, and how she could tell him if he didn't. Jaken's vacant, sleepy eyes didn't seem to notice Rin's gaze in the least, and he tottered on in a barely conscious haze as he would if it was the real Sesshoumaru who'd woken him.  
Suddenly, it hit her. Rin blinked her eyes, realization touching her face for a moment when the idea bloomed in her mind. _He knows Jaken will ask no questions of Sesshoumaru, or doubt his identity when all he's asking is that we travel like this,_ Rin thought to herself. _But, the fact that I'm even here as thrown him for a loop. He knows nothing of me. This may help me._

"So, Lord Sesshoumaru, are we going into battle at our destination?" Rin asked.

"What a stupid question," Jaken scoffed.

"It's not stupid. I want to know if I need a weapon," Rin retorted.

"As though we'll let a pesky human woman into battle with us!" Jaken snapped. "Our foes are much too powerful for you! You'd only be in the way, even if you weren't killed the instant you set foot on the battle field!"

"Lord Sesshoumaru said I could fight by his side, though," Rin whined, leaning down to rest her chin between the necks of Ah and Un. "He said he would get me a sword from Lord Totosai himself when I got big enough to travel with him again."

"Never! Lord Sesshoumaru wouldn't even give the lowliest demon sword to a human! Much less a little girl!" Jaken squawked.

Ahead of the bickering companions, the imposter looked from side to side, trying not to look too confused while he considered an answer. _What am I to do with this? Do they always fight like this? Jaken would seem to know him better, having been his steward for many years, but… Lord Sesshoumaru left him with her. What for, I can't be sure. But, she must be important somehow… Which is why I can only make safe moves until I know what to do with her._

"There will be no need of weapons at our destination," 'Sesshoumaru' spoke up, putting a break in the argument. "Now, silence."  
Rin tried not to frown, not sure if he would look back. _I could've tried a little harder than that,_ she thought to herself. _That was an easy one to dodge. You must be sharp, Rin. Master Jaken will probably need many hints before he starts to suspect anyway. Be clever, and be very patient…_

On they went with little noise save for the light padding of feet against the road.

_**Day 2:**_

"Lord Sesshoumaru," Jaken puffed. "Might we stop for a drink of water? We've been traveling for quite some time, m'lord. Rin and Ah-Un must be on the brink of withering away."

It was a bright and sunny afternoon. Not too hot, and perfectly peaceful and beautiful. There was no wind, but few deemed it necessary. As a matter of fact, Rin hadn't even been fully aware of what was going on around her until she heard her name being said. "W-What?" she stuttered, blinking as though she'd just woken up.

She looked down to see Jaken wiping a bit of sweat from his brown, tongue hanging out while he panted. Rin blinked at this, feeling no such fatigue. _Were my thoughts interrupted for nothing?_ she asked herself.  
The imposter didn't reply to Jaken's request in the slightest, leaving Rin in the dark about why her name had just been said. She sighed through her nose, slightly irritated. _I was almost there, too,_ she thought. _I almost knew how to tell Master Jaken about Lord Sesshoumaru today. What was the point in even saying my name? What was he using me as an excuse for this time?_

With a small groan, Rin leaned forward and rested her head against Un's neck. Little did she know, her reaction to having her concentration broken was being noticed and misread.  
The fake Sesshoumaru cast the very briefest of glances back to see Rin slumping over, eyes closed, looking almost exactly as though she was blacking out from a lack of water. _It wouldn't do to bring her in dead,_ he thought to himself. _Humans… such annoyingly weak creatures…_

Quiet fell again, Jaken swaying back and forth with dehydration, Rin not moving in the least while she slowly recovered her original thought pattern. The imposter led them on, pace picking up just slightly as he realized that he was going to be held up by his companions and their needs.

_I could try and wake Master Jaken tonight and undo this demon's transformation just long enough to get Master Jaken in on my plan,_ Rin considered. _But, then, I don't know how easy it would be to wake him, and he may kill me if he finds out that I know. Master Jaken is very slow, though. It would take something just as blunt as showing him the imposter's real face to get him to understand… Maybe-_

"UUUWWWAAAAAaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Rin sat up with a start at the sudden cry, unsure of whether it was a good one or not. All she could see was a green and brown blur zooming ahead at disconcerting speed for how small it was, and then disappearing with a splash into a river ahead. Rin blinked twice before the figure came up for air. It was Jaken who'd once again broken her concentration to vocalize his desires, however incoherently.

"Drink your fill and let's be off," the fake Sesshoumaru spoke up at last. "I have no patience for dawdling today."  
Rin looked at him once, and then looked ahead at the river, gently urging Ah-Un forward so that he could have a drink. Her thoughts had halted all together, and her mind felt tense… as though waiting for a very big idea to hit it.  
Ah-Un bent to drink, and Rin slid down off of his back and pulled out her bamboo canteen from the pack hanging from the dragon's saddle to fill it.

_Lord Sesshoumaru was always so patient about these things,_ Rin thought to herself. _Even when he didn't need the water, he would stop so that we could get some, and he wouldn't rush us either…_  
Crouching down to put the canteen in the water, Rin's eyes brightened. The idea had made it to her mind. She knew what she could do to show Jaken that this Sesshoumaru was an imposter!

It was a struggle not to grin. As soon as the canteen was full, Rin put the cork back in it, and packed it away before jumping in to join Jaken in his joyous splashing.  
The imposter stood on the bank of the river, staring at them, waiting while they worked this pent-up… whatever it was out of them.  
Diving and splashing, Rin and Jaken enjoyed the water for all it was worth. The two threw water back and forth trying to hit each other with it, despite being soaking wet already. The sparkling water drops flying through the air, the smiles on their faces, the sound of the water splashing, and the sound of their elated laughter and yelling would've been enough to bring the real Sesshoumaru to decide they could have a while longer, and have a seat somewhere out of reach of the flying water.

This man, however, knew nothing of this, and nor did he consider it to be a possibility. He fought to keep the usual flat, half-cold stare that was Sesshoumaru's regular expression as he grew irritated with the continued frolic in the water. Time was wasting. Perhaps there wasn't any hurry, but, he couldn't risk a need to hurry arising unexpectedly.

Jaken threw a small handful of water, and managed to get Rin right in the face. She gasped, stumbling back and slipping on the river bed. The girl fell to sit in the water, creating a rather large splash behind her. The water traveled quite a distance, colliding with Ah-Un's noses and front legs… and the fake Sesshoumaru's knees.  
He stepped back once, nearly frowning at the mess they'd made of his clothes. This was his limit. "Enough," the imposter tried not to snap, though his tone came out sharper than he wanted. "We've wasted enough time as is."

Jaken turned to look at him, opening his beak to speak to 'his lord'. Rin had other plans, however, jumping up and pouncing on Jaken, shoving him down under the water. The imp flailed in a panic, his fingers swiping at her face, eventually bringing her to shy away from them and release him in the process.  
The small demon emerged from the river with a noisy gasp, sputtering and choking on the water as his body worked to get it out of his lungs. Once recovered, he immediately turned a dark eye on Rin. "What was that for?!" Jaken snapped. "Why, I oughta-"

Rin threw the biggest handful of water that she could, reengaging Jaken in the splash fight, though he was a little more furious, now.  
The fake Sesshoumaru's brow twitched. "Let's be off now." he spoke a little louder, just in case she'd missed what he said the first time.  
Rin cast the very slightest of glances at him before continuing in her game. Any human man would've missed this slight show of 'I heard, but I'm not listening'. But, this creature was a demon.

The girl went to submerge Jaken once more, laughing and smiling, waiting for this fake Sesshoumaru to lose his temper with her disobedience and start yelling. She knew the real Sesshoumaru would walk off if he felt they were taking too long, and she hoped Jaken would know that too. So, if he lost his temper instead, it would surely give him away. She expected to hear him yell. To look up and see him scowling… though she couldn't quite imagine a scowl on Sesshoumaru's face. She expected him to threaten them. She wasn't prepared in the least for how he actually snapped.

Rin gasped outwardly as something suddenly enveloped her neck. Her hands came up to grip at it, and her legs kicked back and forth a little as she was lifted up out of the water. She grunted, blinking once as she was turned around to meet the glowing red eyes of the creature impersonating Sesshoumaru. He was livid, but holding onto the form he'd stolen, even trying to mimic Sesshoumaru's eyes when on the brink of transformation. His grip on her throat was ferocious. His breath was hard, just barely causing his nostrils to flare.

Rin shivered once with fear, her expression growing terrified. She fought through the confusion at being caught off guard to continue on with her plan, despite the slightly unexpected reaction. She put on her absolute best face of horror, pretending that it was her lord who'd snatched her up in such a manner.  
This was not difficult. For, as Rin stared into his bright red eyes, she could see the demonic power roiling within him, much like when Sesshoumaru's eyes would turn red like this. Her heart raced a little, and her breath shook, however weak it was with her wind pipe being partially closed. "L-Lord… Sesshoumaru!" Rin wheezed weakly.

Off to the side, Jaken stared rather shocked at 'his lord', as he held Rin above the water as though she'd done some terrible wrong. _I admit she was being quite childish, an annoyance, but, no more than usual,_ Jaken thought to himself. _Would Lord Sesshoumaru punish her for this? Is it that crucial that she listen to him right now?_  
"Lord Sesshoumaru?" Jaken managed to utter in question, with no idea how to follow it up.

The imposter looked at him, and paused for a moment, taking in the imp's expression. The shock. The curiosity. Even a touch of concern. _He doesn't get rough with this girl, does he?_ He thought to himself. _Lets her do whatever she wants… How unusual, I would never consider it… Unless they're onto me?_  
He turned back to Rin, the red in his eyes fading away at the sight of her horrified face. A long moment of awkward feelings passed. Rin blinked once, shifting her grip on his hand ever so slightly. Jaken blinked, picking up his staff, not sure what he planned to do with that. The false Sesshoumaru blinked, his death grip on Rin's throat shaking.

Three heart beats later, at last, the fake Sesshoumaru released Rin, allowing her to fall back into the river. The girl wasted no time rolling up to her feet and running to Ah-Un, arms wrapping around Ah's neck upon contact. She shook more than she was trying for. Her eyes closed for a long moment as her throat clenched in a more natural inclination. _You were only surprised, not scared,_ Rin told herself. _Calm down. You're acting, not actually suffering. Be calm._

'Sesshoumaru' had no intention of addressing the matter further, as he hadn't the foggiest idea how to recover from that. Instead, he turned, and approached the road, fighting the urge to shake the water from his boots, though he hadn't even really gotten into the water. "Move out." He commanded in a quieter voice.  
Jaken hesitated briefly to look at Rin, concerned - not that he would admit it - for her, and beginning to wonder what'd just happened. _Lord Sesshoumaru will surely kill me if I say something, though…_ the imp reminded himself, cowering at the mere thought of his lord's reaction should he say anything. Lowering his head, he moved along to follow 'his lord' to the road. "Come along, Rin," he almost mumbled.

Rin took a deep breath, climbing up onto Ah-Un's back, taking hold of the reins. She whipped them once, urging Ah-Un into the air, and waited while they ascended. "I'll follow from the sky!" she called down, putting on the most cheerful tone she could… while on the brink of tears.  
Up in the sky, she dabbed at her eyes with her fingers, shaking her head, frowning at herself. _He looks too much like him… I'm only supposed to be acting like this, not actually feeling this way!_ She sniffed once, fighting back a sob. _Calm down… he's only Lord Sesshoumaru on the surface. Not inside. Lord Sesshoumaru would never attack you like that…_

The fake Sesshoumaru cast several small glances up at what his mistake had caused but he made no move to try and set things right. He couldn't risk another slip-up. _She must've learned to put up with his demeanor, anyway,_ he told himself. _She must know she hasn't any place being upset if she knows how much she tries his patience just by _existing_ in this world._  
Under the impression that she was just a silly human girl with irrational emotions, he left Rin be. She cast glances down at him, wondering if he knew that she knew he wasn't Sesshoumaru, but also turning away quickly, rubbing away small tear after small tear, chiding herself for crying at all, and breathing deep to try and fix it.

It was eerily quiet for several hours while everyone travelled on, trying to put the incident from earlier behind them. By sundown, though, quiet had to be broken as Jaken screamed with all his might to let Rin know they were stopping to rest for the night.  
Ah-Un descended slowly, probably at the girl's request, and she dismounted him once he'd landed.  
From there, she fought all urge to look at the fake Sesshoumaru. Try as she might to tell herself that he was an imposter, not the real Sesshoumaru, it sickened her to look at this beastly thing and see her dear lord's face.

She helped Jaken build a fire, and scavenge for food to cook on it. Few words were exchanged, however, and Jaken settled in to sleep against Ah-Un's side rather early. Rin sat staring at the fire, still not trusting the imposter enough to go to sleep before he did. A terrible pit was carved into her belly, and she doubted she was capable of sleeping through it anyway. _He's not real… He's not real… You know he's not real…_ The girl continued telling herself. _Lord Sesshoumaru would never hurt you, or even threaten you like that… You just hate that you saw what it might look like if he did…_

"You bear a grudge against me."

Rin flinched at the voice, blinking once before shaking her head, still refusing to look at him. "I'm just not tired," she lied.  
"Now you insult me," the imposter accused without a tone. "You think I cannot see bitterness when it sits right across from me?"  
Rin stayed absolutely still for fear that moving would make her give something away. Not that her silence and stillness was any less of a sign.  
The imposter sat up straight, staring at her. _This girl truly didn't expect to be punished by him,_ he thought. _She considers herself rather special, doesn't she? Either way… she considers that reaction I had to be unusual. She'll begin to suspect. I must settle her head before she gets any ideas about what really happened to Sesshoumaru…_

Rin started on the inside as the imposter suddenly stood. He started toward her. She cast several glances over at his feet, watching him get closer and closer, beginning to shrink in toward Ah-Un, scared for what this creature was about to do.  
He was getting close enough to strike her with a sword, and Rin was beginning to panic, shaking badly and trying to remember how to erect a shield as she'd been taught back in the village. Her mind raced too fast. If the memory crossed her mind at all, it moved to fast for her to grasp it.

A glint of light to her right caused her to flinch away, turning to look at him now. The light was coming off of his armor as he sat down. Just a brief, very bright flash before he was calmly seated beside her, eyes on the fire that'd caused the light on his armor. "I was… harsh," he began slowly, tone shifting a bit. "If you are upset with me, it's to be expected."  
Rin could not settle down listening to this. It was weird, and even a little disturbing to hear 'Lord Sesshoumaru', even if he was an imposter… apologizing.  
The imposter looked to her, blank expression softening almost like Rin knew the true Sesshoumaru's face to do when he meant to be gentle with her.

_Ba-dump!_

Rin raised her left hand to her heart, her face turning a tad pink. _No, no, no!_ She chided herself on the inside. _It isn't him! Don't let yourself be fooled!_  
"I must insist that we dawdle no longer," the imposter went on. "There is little time left to delay this journey."  
Rin blinked, nodding and slowly moving back into a regular sitting position, though she was far from comfortable in it. _Just… play along,_ she told herself. _You need to stop holding things up anyway. You need to find the real Lord Sesshoumaru before you… don't even consider that! Be calm, and keep your head._  
"I understand, my lord," Rin spoke at last. "I got carried away… but, if this journey is really so important, I can contain myself until we get there."

That said, things settled… to an extent. The imposter no longer feared Rin's suspicion. And, at the moment that he decided to smile at her in satisfaction at the exchange, Rin was able to break what little connection she'd accidentally formed between him and her real lord for a bit…

_**Day 3:**_

Jaken sat on Ah-Un's back today, glaring ahead at the sight before him.  
Rin walked alongside the fake Sesshoumaru, lightly bouncing with each step, though she refused to actually frolic, as she'd agreed not to. While this was not the real Sesshoumaru, the imp had yet to find this out, and believed Rin was being overly familiar and friendly with their lord.

_Honestly… That impetuous child has no shame, even having grown older…_ Jaken could not stop staring ahead, furious, but containing it, knowing how his lord tolerated Rin's behavior well, and how he did not tolerate complaints of any sort. _And Lord Sesshoumaru lets her do it, too. Should I try something of the sort, I'm promptly punished. Yet, she gets away with it day after day… I can't imagine he doesn't notice. Not much gets by him… He couldn't possibly welcome it, either. Lord Sesshoumaru can't have his thoughts distracted by a child fawning over him._

Jaken blinked once, watching Rin look up at 'Sesshoumaru' and grin. 'Sesshoumaru' turned to look at her directly for a moment. To look at her smile. Give her an indication that her gesture was duly noted. This struck Jaken as particularly odd, and, suddenly, the imp had a somewhat bright revelation. _He doesn't welcome it,_ Jaken thought to himself. _Lord Sesshoumaru is always telling Rin to stop something or another, even if he won't punish her like he does me. He won't look at her if he doesn't need to while we're traveling… And yet, he's given her lots more attention than usual these last three days, looking at her, trying to get her attention at times…_

Suspicion formed in Jaken's eyes. What had changed since his lord's solo departure a few days previous? What had he gone to do? And how could it make him so much more patient?  
'Sesshoumaru' looked ahead now, as did Rin. For a long moment, Jaken was left to stare at them, puzzling without expecting to get anywhere. And then, it happened.  
'Sesshoumaru' reached over and brushed a lock of hair behind Rin's ear. Jaken nearly leapt from his skin. Rin paid it no mind, it seemed. But, even Jaken knew that this was absolutely against his master's character. It was never to happen. Why did it happen now?

"Lord Sesshoumaru," Jaken began, trying to maintain some air of a calm tone. "I beg your pardon, m'lord, but since when do you touch anyone so gently for no reason at all? Even if it is Rin?"  
Rin peered back over her shoulder, heart beating fast, but glad that Jaken was finally getting the message. The imposter looked down at Rin, suddenly, noticing that she was looking at Jaken, unworried in expression… but smelling very strongly of fear.

"Oh? Hmm. That is unusual, isn't it?" Rin asked, tone calm enough as she cast a tiny glance up at the imposter and looked on ahead.  
"It is unusual and you know it, fool!" Jaken snapped. "You may be a human girl, but even you must notice how unusual it is!"  
Rin stiffened a little more, giving a shrug of her shoulders. "I guess…" she replied.  
"Don't 'I guess' me!" Jaken chided further. "It isn't normal! I know it! Even if you don't know it!"

No further word was spoken to Jaken. Ice filled Rin's insides, threatening to make her sick. It seemed things were going to remain calm as long as Jaken was present and awake. But, Rin could feel her potential fate growing bleaker and bleaker with every step. For the demon beside her was becoming active on a level only she could feel. His aura was swelling, filling the area, threatening death in many directions with only one target being certain. Now, Rin was regretting letting her plan go as far as it did. Jaken knowing something was amiss wasn't worth it.

The imposter, however calm on the outside, was raging within. Whatever ideas that may have been, regarding what she was to Sesshoumaru - that she would be so friendly with him and expect some sort of kind response of him - blurred together and faded away. They didn't matter anymore.  
This human girl was something very special, beyond even what the imposter had imagined. Witty. Quick to recover from anything. Brave above all measure.

Jaken was left to grumble to himself for the remainder of the trip.  
Rin struggled to breathe, and was sure she forgot to a couple of times.  
The imposter quickly began recalculating things, frustrated that this human girl, young, lacking in skills or wisdom, of all creatures in the world, had found him out.

_Hmm. As usual, it went askew from some of my original plans. Over all, I think it got the base of everything, though. How was it? What do you think? Please review._


	5. Seeking

**I guess this story is going to be really short. I don't have much left for it… But, I'm going to throw everything I've got at it! I didn't put this thing off for two years to have it flop! So, here I go!**

Rin clung to Ah-Un's reins, fist aching with her own grip, but refusing to let go. Jaken waddled beside her, dark bags under his eyes, and a sleepy scowl on his face. Rin had done all she could to keep him awake throughout the night. The very last thing she wanted was to be left alone with the fake Sesshoumaru when she was certain he knew that she knew he was posing as her lord. The imposter seemed oblivious of everything, and didn't try to stop her if he was aware of her efforts to keep the imp awake. And he wasn't peeved in the least that she kept what little defense she could get from this.

Dead silence hung in the air like a thick fog. Rin quivered badly, her knees threatening to buckle, but her determination to see the trip through giving her just enough of a brace to keep her up.  
Today was actually quite bright. Sunny. Clear blue skies, not a cloud to be seen for miles. Birds were singing from somewhere distant, as the trees seemed to be parting further and further, allowing them to see the distance ahead.  
A ways' back, Rin was very surprised as they passed through a village that questioned this imposter about whether he'd stopped the plague of demon centipedes that'd once terrorized the people there. Keeping in character, he said nothing on the matter. Bearing in mind that Sesshoumaru had somehow changed since the last he'd heard of him, he harmed no one.

In her gut, though, Rin knew that the real Sesshoumaru would do this. Especially if he had an excuse to do so. And she knew he had an excuse.  
So, she bore a bit of confidence that Sesshoumaru was waiting at their destination. But, she couldn't be sure if he was doing alright. She prayed to the heavens above that he would be alright when she found him… if she got the chance to find him.

As a precaution, whenever she felt Jaken's eye was watchful enough, Rin would close her eyes and meditate, working to strengthen her sixth sense and see if she could feel any demon auras on the horizon. She could feel little traces of something. It seemed distant. Or perhaps weak. She couldn't quite tell the difference yet, even while trying to find her lord.  
_I don't want it to be distant… But, I don't want it to be weak either!_ Rin cried out in her head. _If it's distant, we may need a few more hours before we get there… And if it's weak, he could be… No, no, not yet! Come on! Keep your head up! You still need to be there to really know…_

"How much farther, m'lord?" Jaken asked, suddenly. Rin's heart jumped, and she nearly gave a cry of alarm at the sound, however calm and casual it was.  
That was all the sound to be had, at the moment. The imposter refused to reply, whether because it was a question he deemed unworthy of an answer, or because his mind was elsewhere and keeping him from hearing it.  
Rin found her ears were ringing from just that one small break in the silence, however brief it'd been.

_For Lord Sesshoumaru! For Lord Sesshoumaru! For Lord Sesshoumaru!_ She repeated this thought continuously, trying not to take deep breaths as she reached for the focus that would help her find out how far until they reached the imposter's destination. Or, better yet, whether or not Sesshoumaru was waiting there.  
Her heart was weary, beating like it was sore from its tireless work. In times when she felt this weakness, Rin had thought back to Sesshoumaru's face, and felt better, and had come to believe her Lord's face was what made him such a comfort to her.

These last few days, however, she'd come to feel she had misread her own feelings. She found no comfort in Sesshoumaru's appearance. It walked just ahead of her, and she was horrified of it. She wouldn't run to this appearance for safety or support. She wouldn't trust it with her life.  
Rin's grip on Ah-Un's reins tightened further somehow, and she allowed herself to blink. _For Sesshoumaru…_ She thought once more, slowing her mind as her longing drew up a new feeling. Something familiar, and yet… unusual. Like she'd felt it many times before without knowing it was ever there. A beckoning. A pull. A promise.

At that moment, a stone formation began to rise over the horizon. The ringing in Rin's ears seemed to grow a little stronger now, even as no one spoke. Her skin prickled, and not in a bad way. Her eyes caught nothing particularly strange. She heard nothing immediately recognizable. But, this subtle change in her sensory sank deep within, and she knew…  
Rin tried to force her face to stiffen a little, and she threw Ah-Un's reins into Jaken's face, taking off running.

Jaken cried out in shock, fumbling with the reins before he could actually take hold of them and look up after her. "Rin! Slow down! What's gotten into you?" he called ahead.  
She paid him little mind, approaching the stones and finding it was quite an easy climb. Small children could scale it, if any had been there to try. The formation wasn't even very tall. But, as Rin reached the top, she became more cautious of her footing, lest she fall through the very deep looking hole in the top of the structure. _I can't see the bottom…_ Rin took careful note, scanning what little of the inside of that tunnel she could see. _The wall is rough enough, though. I might be able to climb down…_  
Swallowing hard, Rin began working her feet into one wall, and placing her hands against a shallow ledge.

"Rin! Stop! Get back here! That's a demon's burrow!" Jaken squawked, suddenly terrified for the girl, if only because his master would be upset with him if harm befell her.  
"Let her be," the imposter said, calmly. "The dwellers of that burrow have long-since vacated it. She may wander as she likes."  
Jaken looked up at the imposter, and then at the tunnel where he could no longer see the girl working to climb inside, uncertain. _It's not like Lord Sesshoumaru to just let her wander someplace that might be dangerous,_ Jaken thought to himself. _After all, plenty of demons may have flocked to this place to take over, if it's empty. Is he not concerned that she'll be killed if that's the case?_

Inside, Rin carefully scaled the wall downward, feeling around when she couldn't see anymore, determined to reach the bottom.  
Suddenly, she reached down with her foot, and could find no more wall to hold onto. _Oh, my… How long will I have to fall?_ She thought to herself, seeking some sign that could tell her what awaited. She found a corner, the edge to a side tunnel it seemed. Breath unsteady, she descended a bit further, getting into position to swing.

Pebbles fell from beneath her hands when she grabbed the wall, and she didn't hear them hit a bottom. _It's this or nothing, then?_ Rin's body quivered just a little as she was now hanging. She closed her eyes, even though she couldn't see anything. Holding her breath, she kicked her legs forward and then back.  
_One…_ Her body swayed forward, and back, and her feet hit nothing. _Two…_ Faster this time, Rin almost gasped as she felt her fingers shifting on the stone. _Three!_  
With a cry of terror, Rin released the wall as she swung forward, limbs flailing as she fell through the air… and landed hard just on the edge of a tunnel.

She quickly rolled away from that edge, gasping for air, trying to recover from that leap of chance, and some of the pain it'd caused her. Swallowing, she opened her eyes, but found nothing to look at but darkness. Her muscles burned a little from fear having filled every inch of her being for that moment. Quietly, though, she got to her feet, and carefully felt about the tunnel. Within a moment, her nerve returned to her, and she began moving faster. Upon hearing a familiar cry of fear rapidly approaching behind her, Rin jumped and broke into a run, hoping to goodness that she wouldn't be caught before she got where she was going, and perhaps a little while after that.

With darkness all around her, it was hard to be confident in her aimless running. But, at this point, it was all she had. And she would take it, and choose different directions according to where she fell next and what her feeling told her.  
She fell many times. She found a way to climb only a few times. Still, her desperation grew stronger, and her will to keep going was hardening faster as she felt herself drawing nearer and nearer…  
Then, in one tunnel, just as she'd taken a fall from another, and recovered from the bruise it'd left her with, she began to feel along the wall, expecting to find the next turn she was looking for. In all the rough stone and dirt she'd been feeling, she found something new. Almost smooth, obviously carved wood. Running her hand down, she found something metal. A handle. Rin had found a door.

Her heart leapt, and she took hold of it, giving it a rough yank, pulling it open with a loud _chunk!_  
She stumbled back, alarmed at how easily it had come open. She blinked as she looked in, though, as the room beyond was dimly lit by a single small torch on the wall. Shadows within raised their heads, looking at her like they might've expected someone else, the aura hardening as they seemed to realize she wasn't who they'd been waiting for.  
Rin's nerve wavered just a bit at the sheer number of people in there. But, she knew she'd reached her destination, now. She wasn't going to back out without a fight.

"Intruder!" the voice was distant, no more than a whisper in Rin's ears. The shadows all began advancing toward her after this quiet announcement, but, Rin was already learning how to beat them. _Just shadows, no real shape to them… They can think for themselves, but, they're stuck behind this wooden door… They must be waiting for their leader, and yet they don't really want him to come back…_ Rin took notes. _Demon shadow magic! I can handle this!_  
Thinking quickly, Rin grabbed the door, and shoved it shut on the first wave of shadows, opening it to find that they dispersed, leaving leaves with writing on them where they'd once stood.

The second wave hesitated, not sure they wanted to take on the girl who seemed to have figured them out. Rin could more confidently harden her eyes, now. She knew what was going on, and she could stop it. "You're souls who don't want to leave this world yet, aren't you?" she asked, more to point out that she knew it now, than anything. "You made a deal with that demon to stay here, no matter how it deforms you, in exchange for your cooperation! This wood is from the Tsuga tree, the kind that will break the spell and send you to the next world if any of you touch it!"

The shadows only backed up a little, looking at each other, as though to see who would be next to go after her. Rin lost no confidence. She knew they'd most likely been ordered to take out any intruders who crossed this room. They were left in this room with no handle on their side of the door, as they did have free will as long as the spell caster wasn't there. It left Rin with an easy win, and all it would take was a bit of time. Time they had been ordered not to waste, it seemed.  
Rin closed the door three more times, sending all those souls flying out, and letting several leaves fall to the floor.

Silence fell. Rin looked around carefully, just in case she'd missed one. Affirming that it was safe, Rin took a step in, concern touching her heart. She could now focus on the one detail that mattered the most to her in this room. The bars embedded in the back end, containing the darkest shadows in the room. She approached them, casting quick glances over her shoulder in case someone was coming.

"…Rin…"

Her attention was stolen. She turned back to the holding cell, her sore heart beating warm, healing some of the wounds it'd taken, and letting her know she would be alright now. It was not the voice that did this. It was not the fact that its owner knew her name. Anyone could have that voice and the knowledge of her name.  
It was how her name was said that healed her. The voice was comforted and masking concern. The owner of this voice was happy to see her on a level she'd tuned her ears to hear, even when the rest of the world couldn't hear it.

Elated and scared at the same time, Rin dashed to the cell, taking hold of the bars, and looking in to spot the glowing amber eyes that she'd longed to see for days. "Lord Sesshoumaru!" she gasped, still struggling to keep her voice low. "My lord, are you alright? Have you been hurt?"  
Sesshoumaru lifted his head, his eyes firm, though half-lidded with plain exhaustion. "Rin… how are you even here?" he asked, deeply surprised to see her, though he contained it well.  
"The demon," Rin began. "He came disguised as you, seeking Master Jaken. I convinced him to take me along, and he brought us here. I'm afraid he knows that I've found him out, now."

Rin reached through the bars, hoping to touch her lord's face, grunting as her fingers extended and her shoulder squeezed through the bars to no avail.  
Sesshoumaru watched, silently pleased that she would try so hard for him. "Rin… that demon is Katsura," he explained. "He's renowned for his disguise and acting abilities, even among demons. How is it you knew he wasn't me?"  
Rin looked to him, pulling her arm back. "He didn't seem to remember anything from after the day we first met," she told him. "He knew how to recover once he realized everyone knew something had changed since he'd last heard of you. But, even then… I never felt right about him."

With that said, she looked her lord over now to find out why he seemed genuinely trapped here. Inside the cell, the answer was clear. He was bound with chains made up of enchanted monkshood, which kept his demon powers nullified. Pairing that with still being noticeably ill, Rin felt a pang in her heart, and tried not to show it as she turned to look around for a key.  
"I'll tell you all the details once we get out of here," Rin said, moving around the room, shifting around the loose dirt on the floor. "Did you see where the keys got hidden, my lord?"

"He did indeed!"  
Rin stiffened, looking to the door. Her eyes met with an unfamiliar face, though she knew immediately who it was. He was rather slight for a demon man. Small, even for the usual cat demon he seemed to be. He was coated with fur as white as snow, even while he still wore 'Sesshoumaru' attire for comparison, ears standing up out of his wild, bushy short hair. His slanted, almond-shaped eyes glowed an eerie green color, his tongue flicking out to lick his lips in a malicious manner.

He raised his right hand, holding up a single key between his thumb and pointer claws. "He got to see one of my shadow servants scurry off to bring it to me as I was headed out to collect you!" the imposter, Katsura by name, sneered, eyes running up and down Rin's height, angry and pleased at the same time. "And what a surprise it was that you were to be collected, too."  
Rin took a step back toward Sesshoumaru's cell, her hand wrapping around one of the bars and squeezing while she considered how she would handle this situation. She'd hoped to have Sesshoumaru's help in fighting this demon when she found him. To find that he was not only still sick but tightly bound, sealed, and locked up was enough to nearly shatter any piece of hope she might've gained in finding him at all.

Katsura didn't move an inch, continuing to look her over. "I underestimated you, as a human girl," he said. "I'm curious, so, perhaps you might humor me with an answer… just how and when did you find out Lord Sesshoumaru had been replaced?"  
Rin's mouth tightened slightly. _I wouldn't say anything on a normal occasion,_ she thought to herself. _But, on a normal occasion, I wouldn't have to try and find out how I can get the key to Lord Sesshoumaru's freedom… I must be careful, then._

"You attacked Lord InuYasha," Rin said, watching Katsura carefully. "It's true that he and Lord Sesshoumaru don't get along. They aren't very brotherly, but they don't fight anymore. If they did, Lord Sesshoumaru certainly wouldn't be the one to start it."  
The demon's eyes brightened, seeming to make the room turn green with the light of his eyes. He held out one finger, the one holding the key, allowing it to slide out until it hung just from his claw, on the brink of falling to the floor. "Is that so?" Katsura asked, trying to sound pleased. "So, you knew from the beginning… Obviously, though, you don't know Sesshoumaru very well if you think he wouldn't instigate something! If you really knew him, you'd know of all demons he's slaughtered in search of power! All the humans he's slain simply because they stood within striking range! Why, not even the young ones were spared."

Sesshoumaru looked to the girl, expecting she might waver. To him, she seemed helpless. The fact that she was here to begin with was amazing. He was nearly sure that Rin would buckle under all of this, and, perhaps, decide that he was not worth all her trouble for the treachery he'd caused.  
Rin remained, however. She blinked once, very slowly, strengthening the barrier concealing the majority of her fear and uncertainty with the small movement.  
Katsura grinned, taking note that her eyes had hardened a little more. He knew he'd hit a nerve. "So, you do realize what a miracle it is that you've survived _knowing_ Lord Sesshoumaru?" he asked, taking a step forward, still toying with the key in his hand. "You know what an odd phenomenon you are… To be able to tell a perfect actor in a flawless transformation from the real thing, even as a human looking through demon magic… I must say, it would seem Sesshoumaru has let you take him as very dear to you."

"Enough." Sesshoumaru spoke from within the cell, almost giving Rin a start.  
Katsura cast his eyes past Rin to look at Sesshoumaru as he hung from the wall, chains keeping him in place. The sneer on his face only darkened, however. Sesshoumaru was no threat to him, as far as he could see. "Jaken seeks out my weapon as we speak," Katsura told him. "Your end is imminent. Simply a matter of-"  
With the demon distracted, he hadn't noticed the sudden determination on Rin's face as she spotted her opening and lunged for it. In a second, her fingers wrapped around the key, and she nearly slipped as she turned around to take it back to the cell.

Panic was setting in, and Rin struggled to focus so that she could get the key into the lock. Katsura stood by, watching her as though she'd just spouted some foul word, rather than stolen the key to freeing Lord Sesshoumaru. His face only calmed from there. For, off in the distance, inaudible to Rin in her panic, footsteps echoed rapidly through the tunnels, a voice crying out in triumph, seeking attention and recognition of the owner's achievement.  
As Rin finally got the key in the hole, and turned until the lock was undone, she looked back, suddenly realizing that he wasn't coming at her, or anything.

The smile she saw on his face made her limbs go cold. She turned back to the cell door, briefly seeking Sesshoumaru's eyes for comfort, only to turn her eyes back down while she began to yank at the cell door. _You're fine! You're fine! He's overconfident! You're fine!_ Rin told herself, putting all her weight and might into the final pull that opened the stiff, ill-fitted door. Even now that she could reach Sesshoumaru if she tried, her confidence was drained away with what everyone heard next…

"LORD SESSHOUMARUUUUUUUU!"  
_Master Jaken! He'll be used as leverage!_ Rin thought, turning away from Sesshoumaru, and watching as Katsura turned to look out into the hall, reaching toward something.  
"No! Master Jaken, run!" Rin cried, deciding that Jaken was in more immediate danger than anyone else.  
"Rin, stop!" Sesshoumaru commanded.

Rin couldn't hear him over the sound of her frantic heart beat. She got half-way to him before she saw Katsura draw back a naginata, rather than a struggling imp. Jaken lie knocked out at his feet. Rin stopped, seeing that she'd been foolish to leave her original mission, and took a step back.  
Katsura snickered, pleased that the girl was still trying to be quick-witted, and cast his gaze upon Sesshoumaru while he traced the blade of the naginata. "How easy that was…" he sneered. "Finding my Kutsusangaiha… and then finding the target upon which I will test its power."

Rin swallowed, stepping back again. Katsura stepped forward now, eyes zeroing in on the girl. "Perhaps my initial calculations were correct?" he said, positioning the Kutsusangaiha for battle. "Lord Sesshoumaru never tries to protect anyone, however feeble the attempt may have been. And, for that, you will suffer."  
Rin turned and ran for it, fear threatening to constrict her movement. _Free Lord Sesshoumaru! Free Lord Sesshoumaru! Free Lord Sesshoumaru!_ was all she could think. She stumbled into the cell, extending a hand toward the enchanted monkshood chains.

Cold flashed past her cheek as she gripped one chain. For a moment, her cheek stung, and all she could see were her own stunned eyes staring back at her. She froze where she was, hands tightly clenched. A single tear rolled down her cheek while she ripped away that one vine, stumbling backward. She would not step forward again.  
The shriek rattled the cave. By her face, one might've thought she'd just had her body carved open, rather than a tiny cut on her face. She couldn't feel the cut, though. That pain was white noise in the cacophony of agony that collapsed upon her.

She felt bruises and swells like she was being beaten by a village all over again. Rocks digging into her bare feet as though she was running on a rough road. Breaks and sprains that she'd received from her various adventures throughout her life. She could feel the claws and teeth of demons aiming to end her, and narrowly missing, catching her legs and arms. Blood spilling all around her neck. Most of all… she could feel suffocation. Her heart clenching as it tried to pull in oxygen. Her body going hot and then cold in waves of slow, deadly pain.

None of this was actually happening to her. No injuries existed beyond that one tiny cut. But, Rin was feeling everything she'd ever suffered through. Even her deaths.  
Screams turned into sobs and wails of fear and agony. She would roll up to try and defend her body from the torment, only to stretch out again to stop another pain. There was no position she could take, try as she might to find one. Her mind was lost in horrible memories of the past, and she couldn't begin to try and recall the good ones in between.

Above her, though, Katsura grinned at her reaction, eyes bright, fingers lightly caressing the blade of Kutsusangaiha. "Children are always the most fun to watch," he snickered, giving Rin a kick in the back, sending her rolling across the floor. "The smallest pains can cripple them… This is, by far, the best pain I've seen so far! You'd think she died once, the way she writhes!"  
His eyes darkened as he turned to look at Sesshoumaru, hoping to see him suffering for the girl, now.  
Sesshoumaru stared rather fiercely in Rin's direction, eyes wider than usual, no further pain or weakness registering within him. Not his own, anyway.

As the girl lay on the floor, crying, it was all Sesshoumaru could think of. _I caused this… Her past might've been quieter, less painful if I'd left her be… She shows such loyalty to me, and this is how she's repaid for it?_  
"L… L-L-Lord… S-Sesshoumaru…" she sobbed.  
The demon lord all but flinched as she spoke his name. She slowly turned over, her agonized eyes finding his. She looked as though she was on her death bed. This seemed like the end in her eyes. And still… she bore no regrets. "R-r-run… away!" she breathed, still trying to save him, despite being crumpled on the floor, unable to move.

Katsura blinked once, his nose twitching as he caught a burnt paper smell in the air. The very next second, he noticed that his seals on the monkshood had been burned up, and his smile weakened. _Sesshoumaru will only take another moment before he realizes he's free,_ Katsura noted to himself. _I mustn't dally. I need the first shot if I'm going to win a proper fight with him._  
Without a word, Katsura swung the Kutsusangaiha, striking while Sesshoumaru's attention was still firmly planted on the girl while she suffered. The blade cut through the air without a sound. The force with which it was swung was perhaps enough to do serious damage.

A metal ringing sounded through the air. Blood trickled between the blade… and the hand that caught it. Centuries of war and battle damage and burning and poison tore through that hand, all the way through the rest of Sesshoumaru's body. The demon lord sucked in a staggeringly large breath, biting his own tongue as his eyes glowed red, hair beginning to sway with the power he was summoning. Katsura began to waver in his confidence, watching the vines of monkshood tear apart just from the aura Sesshoumaru was giving off. He was in pain, but he was more than willing to fight it. After all… no amount of pain and suffering equaled watching Rin be tortured by her own.

He turned to Katsura, pushing the blade back toward him, and quickly striking with his claws. Katsura cried out as they stung his face, and quickly stepped back as he saw the fight about to start. He quickly pulled back, and went to strike again, hitting Sesshoumaru with even more of the same pain as he reached to catch the blade again. Sesshoumaru roared out, and went to strike again, breaking the Kutsusangaiha in two. Katsura quickly through away the bladeless half, careful to avoid another attack, striking Sesshoumaru again.  
Three was proving a bit hard to handle. Sesshoumaru swung his claws again and missed. Katsura went to strike again, and it was difficult to hold off Sesshoumaru's attack while he did so. The blade went through his arm, and he reached to try and attack again. Even with the poison in his claws burning, Katsura received only minor damage, and lifted his leg to kick Sesshoumaru back.

The demon lord glared, but couldn't see straight enough to aim it at Katsura. He cursed his weakness, wishing for his swords, and trying not to look at Rin. She suffered terribly, and he began to wonder if he would be able to avenge that.  
Katsura grinned, looking down at Sesshoumaru, blade at the ready. "You'll regret breaking my Kutsusangaiha after I spent so much time searching for it!" he sneered, rearing back to strike once more. "All for the sake of a human girl!"

The blade came down. Sesshoumaru faced it, rage on his face despite being in danger.  
_Ting-a-ling!_  
The tense, furious moment was broken for the somewhat cheery sound. Both Katsura and Sesshoumaru looked around, confused.  
_Dooooooommmm! Btooooooommmm!_  
Thunder rolled as loud as if they were back above ground. Katsura froze for a moment, bemused. Something small and wet fell upon his nose, and he swayed backwards, trying to get away from it. Another fell upon his head. Then on his ear.  
Suddenly, with little warning, it was raining inside the cavern… and only on Katsura.

Rin stumbled around from behind him, struggling with the pain as it ebbed away. "Demon… urgh… begone!" she grunted, falling to her hands and knees beside Sesshoumaru.  
Katsura looked around at the puddle forming at his feet and cried out in horror. "WATER! It's WATER!" he screamed, running for the door. The small rain cloud over his head chased him all the way.  
Before he'd completely escaped the room, Sesshoumaru could see that the key to his cell had been returned to Katsura's obi, hanging in place with a rusty bell tied to it. No questions needed to be asked.

Katsura ran out into the tunnels, screaming the whole way. It was only a moment before Katsura's screams were dying with the distance between him and the prison cell. Rin and Sesshoumaru were finally able to settle down, safe at last.  
Quivering while she recovered from the affects of the Kutsusangaiha, Rin laid down and reached over to take hold of her lord's fingers, thanking all the gods she knew of that he was alive. "Lord… Sesshoumaru…" she breathed. "Thank goodness…"

Wars still raged across the expanse of Sesshoumaru's skin, and it took much of his strength to keep his pain hidden from her. Still, deciding he was stronger now that it seemed she was out of danger, he reached over and urged Rin closer to him, gently stroking her hair, breathing deeply. "Rin…" he said.  
Just to say. He had no follow-up statements, no questions. It was just her name on his lips.  
Rin, though exhausted, gave a little smile. This was her lord. Saying her name. Worrying for her. Being glad that she was okay. The feeling she'd had before… it was him. The one she trusted with her life. The one she trusted in her heart. She would know this feeling now. Finding him would never be difficult again. "I'm sorry," Rin whispered, gripping his fingers a little tighter. "I lost the bell you gave me just now…"

Sesshoumaru barely heard the statement, but he knew what she said. He wouldn't respond just yet, though. If he allowed himself any small sound, he knew he wasn't going to be able to hold in the agony anymore. It was everything he could do not to close his hands into fists, possibly harming Rin in the process. He could feel his left arm being sliced off again and again, for each time he'd been struck. He could feel demon arms piercing his abdomen, narrowly avoiding lethal damage. He felt the power of the first Wind Scar he'd witnessed in over two centuries burning him.  
Rin looked up at his face, seeing his eyes locked on the floor, obviously distracted by inner turmoil. Quietly, she reached up to hold his hand in both of hers, tears flowing for his pain, but hope for its end in her heart. "He got away with that terrible weapon," Rin moaned, a touch of fear in her heart. "He'll be able to hurt more people with it… I should've been more careful…"

Sesshoumaru's hand twitched almost imperceptibly between hers as he listened to her through reliving the few times he'd managed to take hold of Tetsusaiga with his own hands, and how it had burned him for going against its wishes not to be touched by another full demon. "You've done enough," he told her. "That worm will be caught soon enough. Such a show off will leave an obvious trail."  
Rin gave the tiniest of smirks at this, and blinked a few tears away so that she could see her lord clearly. "Master Jaken still doesn't quite know what happened," she said.  
This statement was no surprise to the demon lord as he looked to where his steward lie unconscious, Staff of Heads just barely out of his hand. _All this for just him…_ he thought. _Pitiful…_

After a moment, Rin began to feel a small stinging on her face. All other pain had faded away, and she was left with just this annoying half-burn. It was the cut that Kutsusangaiha had left on her face. The effects of the blade's magic had worn off.  
With a little grunt, Rin sat up to look her lord in the face, taking note that he'd shut his eyes rather tightly at some point, and had yet to open them. "My lord," she began. "What can I… Can I do anything for you?"

Sesshoumaru was very quiet for a moment as his very mind got louder with the piercing feeling in his chest, like Magatsuhi had run him through again. It was difficult not to begin squeezing Rin's small hands, which would've surely broken them. Somehow, though, Sesshoumaru was able to hold on, and bring his mind back to something that could distract him from the ongoing agony. "You should leave," he said. "Take Jaken and go."  
Rin's mouth tightened. Her fingers shook once. "With all due respect, Lord Sesshoumaru… not until you can go with me," she told him. "I know you're still ill, but, I don't want to leave here without you. Especially knowing that demon knows where you are…"

Sesshoumaru could see her eyes becoming adamant. She was still strong enough to fight, should she be pushed to that point. She wasn't afraid to disobey him this time. She'd grown stronger since he'd left her, it seemed. Somewhere, through the pain and slight frustration, Sesshoumaru found himself proud of this. Of her.  
He blinked once. A small sign that told Rin he conceded. "You should be more worried about where you go after this," Sesshoumaru told her.  
Rin gave a small smile. "I'll be more worried about that when I can be a little less worried about you," she said. "So… until you're well enough to move, we're staying right here."

The curse of the Kutsusangaiha lasted several minutes. While Sesshoumaru recovered from it, he was unable to fight with Rin, who treated his arm with a piece of cloth she'd torn from the hem of her kimono, though Sesshoumaru insisted it would be fine in a matter of hours.  
Silence fell after a while, as nothing really needed to be said between them. It broke with the occasional snort or mumble from Jaken, while he slept on the floor, noisily dreaming of following Sesshoumaru into battle, and vanquishing a thousand foes on his own.

The pain was just beginning to subside when Sesshoumaru suddenly became a bit more alert, and began working his way up to his feet. Rin looked up at him, standing up and waiting, watching for some indication to help him. "Is something the matter, Lord Sesshoumaru?" she asked.  
He looked to the door. Rin got tense, then. Had Katsura returned already?  
She didn't really get a chance to use her sixth sense before she heard voices echoing in the distance.  
"I smell blood," came the first. "Just a little. I don't think anyone's dead."  
"That's good," replied the second. "Can you tell how much farther until we reach them?"

A dim light appeared in the tunnel outside, slowly growing brighter as it advanced toward them.  
Sure enough, through the door walked Miroku, bearing a lantern, and InuYasha, sniffing around, giving Jaken a little kick as he walked in. "Lord InuYasha! Lord Miroku!" Rin gasped. "Why are you here?"  
"Lady Kagome had a feeling something was wrong with Sesshoumaru," Miroku explained. "So, we've been following a way's behind you this whole time."  
"We found that lowly scum trying to escape while we were coming down to look for you," InuYasha added. "He was pretending to be Sesshoumaru, wasn't he?"

Rin nodded, looking over to the real Sesshoumaru, wondering if they knew he'd been trapped down here, and how she should continue from there. Sesshoumaru gave nothing away, perfectly still and calm. Rin could only think of a few ways to move along without saying too much. "I knew he was a fake right after he tried to attack you and Lady Kagome," she said. "But, I couldn't really do anything by then. If I revealed him, everyone would be in danger, and he'd have run off with Master Jaken before anyone could stop him. I just had to wait until Lord Sesshoumaru came to help me. He found me right in the nick of time."  
Sesshoumaru looked to her, approving of her response, finding himself impressed by her humility in light of stopping a crisis all on her own.

Miroku knelt down before Rin, running a finger along the cut on her face. "This is your only cut?" he asked. "Didn't he fight you?"  
Rin reached up to cover the cut with her hand. "His blade is enchanted," she explained. "With just this little cut, I lived a lifetime of pain all over again…"  
She peered over her shoulder at Sesshoumaru, briefly addressing his injured arm with this glance before turning to InuYasha and Miroku once more. This look was enough for InuYasha to look up and realize what'd caused Sesshoumaru's injury. _A curse like that would bring anyone to their knees, blubbering, begging for an end,_ he thought to himself. _It's amazing that Sesshoumaru's standing right now, knowing how he lives for war. It must've taken some guts to fight past all that he's lived through… Guts… and a bit of heart…_

Normally, InuYasha would take this opportunity to point out how his brother must've gotten clumsy to let himself get injured so badly. But, in light of his apparent valor, and the barely nicked young woman standing at his side, he held his tongue. These injuries were nothing to poke fun at, lest one insult one's self in trying to.  
Quietly, InuYasha gave a little scoff, still displeased with even silently admitting to his brother's strength. "It's done now," he said, bobbing his head toward the door. "Let's go. Kagome will have a fit if she doesn't see you go up first, kid."

Rin looked to Sesshoumaru, smiling gently. Sesshoumaru met her eye. He wasn't going to leave quite yet, as he was still sick. She was ready to be out in the sunshine to be comfortable and happy once more, now that she could be sure her lord was fine.  
After a moment, she turned and hurried to pick up Jaken, shaking him awake. "Master Jaken! We're in the way! Let's go!" she told him.  
Jaken groaned, blinking himself awake, and looking around the room, still not quite seeing anything straight as he took hold of his side. "I feel as though I've been kicked…" he noted, stumbling as Rin urged him toward the door.

"It's your imagination!" Rin said, walking toward the door, pushing Jaken along in front of her.  
"Is it, though?" Jaken asked, still in a haze as he let her push him through the hall. "Where's Lord Sesshoumaru?"  
"He left ahead of us!" Rin said quickly, taking advantage of Jaken's discombobulated state to get him to leave without questioning his lord's whereabouts.  
InuYasha and Miroku looked at each other for a second, casting Sesshoumaru questioning glances as to why Rin was trying to pretend he wasn't there. To no surprise, Sesshoumaru gave no answer, simply staring on through them.

"Sheesh, what a weird guy," InuYasha sighed, turning to leave.  
Miroku shook his head at InuYasha's attitude, and tried to meet Sesshoumaru's eye. "We'll see her home, then," he assured him. "I should ask though, considering the events of today: Did you want to do something about _that thing_ on the surface?"  
Sesshoumaru allowed his gaze to trail over to Miroku, slightly questioning as Rin took off out of sight with Jaken, eager to reach the open air and sun she thought she'd never see again…

_Okay, I have more to this, but, this chapter has dragged on a little too long. I can fit it into the next chapter easily, though. The next one should be the last. I'm so happy to be finishing a story for the first time in forever! Something not a one-shot, anyway. Please, review!_


	6. Knowing

**Here we go. With any luck, this will be the final chapter. I have a little left to cover, and this shouldn't be too long. If it is… well, that's just my luck! I can never predict these things right… Enjoy!**

Rin halted as she reached the vertical tunnel where faint sunlight was shining down into the cave, telling her that hope had been restored for her. She could see around now. There was no way she'd be climbing up on her own, the same way she climbed down. No hand holds existed within her reach. She would have to wait for a bit of help.

"There you are," InuYasha said, arriving right behind them. "I almost thought you fell down there, the way you got quiet like that. Oi! Kagome! Are you ready?!"  
A faint gasp sounded above, and Rin looked back up there as a shadow hovered over the tunnel opening. "InuYasha? Is everyone alright down there?" Kagome's voice echoed down a little louder than she probably intended, and Rin had to cover her ears for a moment.  
"Yeah," InuYasha replied, not quite as loudly. "Stand back! I need room to bring 'em up!"

Just like that, the shadow moved away from the top of the tunnel, and InuYasha scooped up Rin and Jaken, getting into position at the very edge of their level ground. "Hang on tight," he said.  
"You don't even have to say…" Jaken muttered, fully awake and capable of cowering at the idea of trying to ascend with a very deep fall beneath them.  
Rin held tightly to InuYasha's haori as he leapt out, feet digging into the wall as he turned, and rebounded toward the next wall. On they went, just like that, slowly climbing the tunnel, Jaken whimpering the whole way up. Sure enough, though, the sunlight seemed to get close enough to touch as InuYasha made the final jump that brought them out of the dark, dank tunnels to breathe fresh air, and warm up in the sunlight.

They landed on the solid ground with the slightest of thumps, and Rin quickly swung her legs downward, sliding herself out of InuYasha's arms as she ran to greet Kagome with a hug.  
Kagome grinned brightly, receiving that hug with joy and relief, happy to see the girl was alright. "Oh, Rin…" she sighed. "You knew, didn't you? That you weren't with the real Sesshoumaru?"  
Rin nodded, knowing that Kagome understood her bond with Sesshoumaru the best of anyone, even if she still couldn't quite wrap her head around it.

To Kagome's left, Sango stood, dressed for battle and holding tightly to some rope. Rin's gaze trailed down that rope to spot the object tied up in it, and her spine got cold for a second. Katsura sat at Sango's feet, clothes dirty and a bit ragged, the rope expertly wound around him to secure his ankles to his buttocks, and his arms to his sides, with no room to move his wrists at all.  
"You caught him," Rin noted. "Did anyone get hurt?"  
Sango grinned, raising her left arm to show the laceration in it. "Didn't exactly tickle, but it wasn't too bad," she said. "His claws are actually kind of blunt. He's not very good at taking care of them."

Rin cast her eyes around the ground, seeking out the blade he'd used earlier. The head of Kutsusangaiha was still tucked into his hand, but the blade rested against his palm and fingers, now. One wrong move and he would be affected by the curse of his own weapon.  
Katsura turned a bit to look at her, leering, furious with his situation and still plotting some way out. His eyes began to light with a new thought, and Rin frowned at that, looking away to search for her bell next.

It was in the grass, not too far from Katsura himself. Rin didn't like the way he continued looking at her, even knowing that he was caught now. It was unsettling, the look in his eyes. Her bell almost wasn't worth the step and a half toward him and back as she retrieved it, glad deep inside herself that she hadn't lost the precious gift forever as she'd originally thought.  
Kagome kept her hands on Rin's shoulders as she stood, assuring the girl that she was safe. "Ready to go home?" she asked.  
Rin nodded, eyes locked on Katsura.

"Is anyone going to even ask if I'm alright? If I want to leave yet?" Jaken asked.  
InuYasha released him, letting him fall to the ground, stepping on him as he moved to catch up with Kagome. His answer was clear.  
The group began to move, only Sango lingering, waiting on her husband to return and pondering how she would drag Katsura back, and he _would_ be dragged back after all he'd done.  
Meanwhile, Katsura stared at Rin, lights ablaze in his eyes, his breathing strengthened. "I won't lose," he whispered. "I won't be known as yet another fool who fell in an attempt to bring down Lord Sesshoumaru! I've come too far, and done too much!"

Rin began to calm with distance put between her and Katsura, and was even able to smile at Kagome. Katsura had seen an empty, colder version of this smile so often on the voyage to this place. Seeing the real thing only brought his rage to a rolling boil. _That's right! His Lordship bares a certain affection for this girl!_ Katsura realized in his mind. _An affection deeper than he would let on, if it could drive him to take strike after strike from my Kutsusangaiha… all to avenge her! And she wasn't even dead!_

Sango looked down at him, noticing a glint of light from the ground. His hands were shaking, turning the Kutsusangaiha in his fingers, telling of some of the wicked toiling within his mind. Katsura was not done.  
The demon slayer pulled on the rope, reaching for her wakizashi. "Why, you…" she grumbled, getting ready to strike him down, having no further patience for the creature willing to harm a young girl.  
Katsura's ears twitched, hearing the metal whining ever so faintly as Sango drew her blade. He could hear the cries of all the beasts that fell to this blade. And he was determined not to join them. Not yet.

As Sango's blade descended upon him, Katsura shifted. In the blink of an eye, he'd maneuvered himself so that Sango nicked the ropes, and missed him entirely. That nick was just enough to weaken the ropes, and Katsura, fueled by desperation, broke the expert demon slayer's weave, dashing off toward his target. "If I can't kill Lord Sesshoumaru," he roared. "I'll end the one person who could break him!"  
"No! Kagome, he's-" Sango stopped short, unable to finish the sentence.  
Kagome and InuYasha were turning to look, hands just barely touching their weapons. Rin was cold, nearly frozen as she looked over her shoulder to see a desperate fire of hate and desire to kill burning in the eyes of the demon who'd attempted to deceive her.

Even her little bell wouldn't save her now. Katsura would reach her in seconds. There wasn't even enough time to feel fear.  
Rin could see the blade coming at her, its aim uncertain. The glint of the metal spoke to her, telling her of her painful past, and how she would feel it all again in moments. She stood petrified, seeking energy to help her decide what to do…

"GET DOWN!"

"MEIDOU ZANGETSUHAAAAA!"

A sphere flew overhead. Gasping in shock, Rin leaned to her right, allowing Katsura to tumble right by her, Kutsusangaiha's blade ringing with rage beside her ear for an instant.  
InuYasha looked up, eyes widening as he quickly tackled Kagome to the ground. "Dammit, that idiot!" he snapped, lying protectively over Kagome as wind began to tear at the world around them, pulling what it could toward the source of it.  
Sango cried out briefly, as she too was taken to the ground, Miroku lying over her, Jaken caught under both of their legs.

Rin's heart pounded as she saw what was going on. The black hole that opened up ahead did not roar with the wind it utilized, but moaned. All the most hopeless feelings man had ever known came together to create that sound. Katsura cried out as he was being dragged toward the black portal, and he knew it would mean his death if he let it take him.  
Rin stumbled, grunting as her footing was getting shaky. She reached down, grabbing hold of the grass, and not feeling any safer for its help in keeping her planted on the ground.

Katsura looked to the struggling girl, glaring with an unknown emotion. One that can only be brought about when a hateful being is fighting to stay alive. She had her eyes closed, focusing entirely on keeping her grip on the grass, and how she might be able to hold on until the hole closed.  
Katsura extended his blade hand, still somewhat determined to end her… and stopped short.

Everything was nearly blood red in the sunset light. It was a fearful image… Sesshoumaru approaching, blade drawn, perfect strength in his eyes. Unlike the usual times, though, his powerful stare was not cold. It was burning, this time. It threatened to sear more than just the fool who dared defy him. And yet, there was no anger. Just certainty.  
When he knelt down to pick up the girl struggling to keep from being swept away and held her close to his chest like she was his very source of life, it was clear. She was his reason. His will. His strength. His… heart.

Rin accepted her lord's help, knowing he was much stronger than she. She held firmly to him, and he held her in return, assuring her that he would never let her go. With her new-found strength, she looked to the target to see if he'd been taken yet.  
Katsura stared at them, unsurprised. "I knew it! I know what's going on between you two!" he yelled over the moaning of the Meidou Zangetsuha. "It will be your undoing, Lord Sesshoumaru! You will fall for this weakness! You will be ridiculed for all of time!"

Sesshoumaru turned his attention to Rin, focusing on protecting her for however long the door to the underworld would have to wait for its victim. The strength of his eyes only grew, but it was no longer for battle. No further combat would commence.  
Katsura couldn't wrap his head around how it happened. This demon lord abhorred any and all weakness, rejecting all that would give him such. And, yet, here she was. Sesshoumaru felt deeply for this girl. For no reason. And he would lay his life and reputation down for her.

And, beating deep within her heart, blazing in her eyes, this human girl appreciated it. Understood how valuable this was for a human to bear. How she had something to protect in being something to protect. And she was more than willing to take on that responsibility.  
Quietly, Rin closed her eyes, repositioning the bell in her hands while she held onto Sesshoumaru, giving it the best shake she could without letting go.

Katsura could no longer glare. Panic had all but numbed him. Thunder rumbled, and dark clouds formed overhead, slowly beginning to let little rain drops fall over them. The wind of the Meidou pulled the drops away from the group almost entirely, being pulled into the tunnel, and to splatter against Katsura. The fool that he was, he could not ignore the wet. In an attempt to rub away the rain drops, he let go, and was swiftly pulled away, falling deep into the realm of the dead, never to return, or cause trouble for another being again.

The Meidou closed. Tense muscles relaxed. A bell jingled, and made the clouds blow away as quickly as they'd blown in.  
Amber eyes trailed down to rest on the young woman shaking in white and red-clad arms. Her brown eyes blinked open, and swept up toward the amber ones… and they were only smiling.

_**Two weeks later…**_

Villagers looked up, and quietly made way, trying not to be too obvious. Animals that thought about crossing the road quickly returned to the side they started at. Several chores and destinations were being abandoned as Sesshoumaru made his way into the village.  
Fully recovered from his illness and injuries, he was here to retrieve Jaken and lead him toward their next mission. He would only have one other thing take any of his time… and he would even go looking for it if need be.

After the scuffle a while back, everyone and everything worked their way back into their original plans for the next few days as best they could. Sesshoumaru had not been in the vicinity to know just how well this was going. Particularly for Rin.  
Taking a life was nothing for him. He'd lived far too long through far too many wars and battles for even the most violent murder to bother him. Rin however… she was simply too young and delicate. She had proved that she wasn't incapable of doing so when she condemned Katsura to his fate, the first time she'd had a hand in anyone's death. But, knowing that she would spare even the most foul of criminals and sinners just so that she wouldn't have to see another death… Sesshoumaru couldn't imagine what she was going through.

As he continued, two women did not make any attempt to move away from him, as though he was just another human passerby. They turned to look at him, both with uncertain looks on their faces. Kagome and Sango.  
Sesshoumaru halted his stride for a moment, looking to them, wondering what they knew.  
Kagome looked to Sango. Sango looked to her just long enough to catch the silent request. "Sesshoumaru… she won't talk to us at all," she began slowly. "We haven't seen much of her at all since we brought her home. No one can visit her and expect much to come of it."  
"It's true," Kagome agreed, a touch of fear flashing through her eyes. "Can you talk to her? See how she's doing if she'll talk to you?"

_Ba-bump!_

It was just a little unsettling to hear this, though he'd been expecting something of the sort to be going on. To know that she was still around was a ray of hope. But what would she be like when he got there? There was still observing to be done.  
"Don't stop me to tell me of what I already know to expect," he said, flat as ever. "Return to your work and I will bother with what I must."

Kagome had to look away, stung just a bit by his unrelenting stoicism. Sango's face hardened a bit, hands tightening into fists. Neither spoke any further on the matter, however. Kagome had already reasoned that Rin would go to him if she felt he could help her. She doubted he actually could. But no one could affect Rin quite as strongly as Sesshoumaru could.  
He was left alone to continue to the house where his steward and dragon steed awaited him.

The house was in fair condition, still clean, in good repair. The garden even appeared to have been tended to, with small crops beginning to sprout from the clumsily tilled soil.  
Right away, Jaken came out in a hurry, welcoming his lord with bows that nearly turned the imp over, they were so low. Ah-Un even peered out from within the house, curious, but in no hurry.  
Sesshoumaru watched with an unwavering gaze as the dragon remained still mostly-hidden within the house. Was he in there for Rin?

There was a long moment, made silent when Sesshoumaru finally stepped on Jaken, approaching the house to see what had become of its primary inhabitant.  
_Ker-creak. Errr…_  
Un turned to look inside the house. The sound was that of someone standing up on loose floor boards. Sesshoumaru paused, just a foot from the door. Footsteps approached from within, and, slowly but surely, Rin emerged into the sunlight, Ah-Un taking a couple of steps to follow her.

The young woman's eyes were wide, not taking any time adjusting to the light as she looked up at Sesshoumaru. Despite having the wide eyes of a child, she seemed… aged, suddenly. Like she'd grown wiser and more experienced while Sesshoumaru had been absent.  
There was a long quiet moment of her just standing there, studying him. She was still taking in details, finding out how her lord was feeling, considering how to greet him. She blinked very slowly, as though she was waking up from a vivid dream. And, in a moment, her eyes brightened. Her lips pulled apart in a smile as bright as ever she'd smiled. "Welcome back, m'lord!" she spoke calmly, happiness lacing her tone. "I'm so glad you're looking well! How was your journey?"

It was such a sudden change. Much too sudden. She was bothered deeper than she wanted anyone to know. And Sesshoumaru wouldn't be the one to push her for an answer. Determined to find something, though, he knelt down to better level his eyes with her.  
He could see how tall she'd gotten, now. She'd once been level with his eyes when he'd kneel before her years ago, but, now she was looking down slightly at him, having grown noticeably since last he knelt before her.

The girl stared at him, noticing the prying look in his eyes, and taking just a moment to think of what he was trying to glean from her. Her eyes brightened, and then hardened a little as her thoughts threatened to show. She knew what he meant, and she refused to let her real feelings show.  
"Rin," Sesshoumaru said, low but commanding.  
She simply put on a smile, eyes still fighting back whatever was going on inside. "My lord, I'm not broken," she stated, still the slightest hint of happy in her voice. "I don't even really regret what happened. I'm bothered. I won't lie. I haven't slept well, I can't eat as much as before… but, when I think of what might've happened, and what already did, I can't truly regret it. Because… everyone's fine, now. No one is in danger anymore. You're even better than the first time I got to see you… well, when you got healthy again, I mean."

Her wall was shaky. This was perhaps the worst thing she'd ever tried to keep to herself. Through the small holes in the barrier of her eyes, Sesshoumaru could see her working hard to keep everything together inside. Sesshoumaru had seen youkai who couldn't hold themselves together this well with such guilt tearing at them from inside. And yet, here she was, smiling, being happy for his health. She'd suffered horribly from the moment Katsura entered the village, emotionally and physically. She'd braved it all, living on only the desire to find Sesshoumaru. No soul could be braver than she. No one proved stronger than she, in Sesshoumaru's eyes. If she'd been crying then, Sesshoumaru wouldn't have stopped her. Wouldn't have blamed her.

She didn't. Rin held strong, quickly trying to sweep all those nasty memories back into the corner she'd had them in, and smiled on. "I _will_ be alright," she insisted. "Now that you're alright, and he's gone, I can rest easier. Things can only get better, now!"  
Sesshoumaru's normally steely eyes softened ever so slightly for the brave warrior standing before him. She was no little girl anymore. She was a young woman. Strong enough to take on the world and remain kind and gentle through everything, if she so desired. And she'd nearly done so just to find him.  
_She places my worth above her own life…_ Sesshoumaru realized, eyes hardening once more to hide the slight anger growing within him. _Stupid… how do I tell her just how idiotic this is?_

Behind them, Jaken sat up with a sigh, deciding to cross his legs and arms and sit there. "Why am I always left out of these things?" he asked, not really expecting any answer.  
He was paid no mind, to no surprise of his own. He knew that this interaction was more important than his minor complaints. Interrupting it would mean pain to him.

"Rin," Sesshoumaru said, intending to start a statement, and still considering how to word it.  
She smiled on, shrugging her shoulders. She'd already seen what he thought of her actions, and interpreted them for herself. "Come inside for a little while?" she offered. "I have tea brewing. I was just about to pour some, and I have a third cup now. I can fix some for everyone!"  
There wouldn't be much arguing with her. She was insisting that she was fine. Sesshoumaru pried just a little more, to be sure. Her eyes brightened. She could see the worry in his eyes, however he tried to hide it. Her heart beat just a little faster, her face turning just a little pink. Fine she would be.

Sesshoumaru rose up once more, turning away. Rin could only grin, knowing even she probably wasn't meant to see that.  
"Invite the priestess and the demon slayer," he told her. "They fear for your well being."  
Rin gave an in audible sigh, not surprised by his answer. "Of course, my lord," she said.  
All at once, Sesshoumaru started toward the sky, leaving Jaken to scramble to grab onto his fur before he got too high up. Rin started a bit, looking back at Ah-Un and taking hold of his reins, leading him out quickly. "Lord Sesshoumaru! You left Ah-Un!" she called up.

He looked back for just a second. The average person would gather nothing from this brief glance. But, as he turned away, Rin breathed a gasp of surprise, turning to look at the two headed dragon. _Does this mean… Ah-Un is mine?_ She thought to herself, reaching up and petting each scaly nose in turn.  
It was unclear, even to her. But, as Sesshoumaru refused to turn back for the creature, Rin was left in charge of him. So, until Sesshoumaru came back, she would take care of him.

Far above, Sesshoumaru soared through the sky, soothed to know Rin was alright, and willing to fight to stay that way. Jaken kept looking around uncertainly. "M'lord, what about Ah-Un?" he asked. "It may not be my place to ask, but, don't we need him for the next journey? Are we going to take him back once we're done?"  
Sesshoumaru gave no reply. It didn't matter if Jaken knew that Ah-Un was a gift to Rin, now. It didn't matter if he knew that Ah-Un was never really necessary to them to begin with, except to carry Rin… and now, hopefully, he would do so again. It didn't matter if Jaken knew. After all…  
_Rin knows…_

_A/N: Man alive and dead, this took SO long to finish! But, yay! This is the first multi-chapter story I've finished in quite some time! I think 'So Alone in Your Heart' was my last one, actually. So, yay! It's been a while, and I think I did quite well! Please, review!_


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